Ophthalmic Technology

Department Chair: Timothy W. Olsen
Program Director: Paul M. Larson
Assistant Program Director: L. DuBois
Co-Medical Directors: H. Grossniklaus, T. Wojno
Research Project Director: H. Edelhauser
Senior Associates: L. DuBois, M. Lynn, R. Waldron
Associates: D. Loupe, D. Leef, P. M. Larson
Website: www.eyecenter.emory.edu/masters_medical_science.htm

Faculty
(professors, associate professors, assistant professors, instructors)—see Department of Ophthalmology Faculty Listing

Master of Medical Science Degree*

*The curriculum shown here in the Bulletin pertains only to current students enrolled in the program. The curriculum is under revision at this time to better meet the needs of future students. Applicants or individuals who need more information should contact the program via the website www.eyecenter.emory.edu/masters_medical_science.htm or call 404.778.4738 or 404.778.4305.

THE OPHTHALMIC TECHNOLOGY PROFESSION
Certified ophthalmic medical technologists (COMTs) are widely used in ophthalmic medical practice and in research and industry; persons with this certification are in great demand. There are approximately twenty thousand board-certified ophthalmologists in the United States, while the Joint Commission for Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO) lists the number of active and inactive COMTs in the United States as approximately seven hundred.

Ophthalmologists have come to expect a high level of expertise and knowledge in clinical skills and diagnostic testing. A variety of employment opportunities is available to the COMT.

A 2000 publication from the American Medical Association on the employment rates of allied health graduates lists ophthalmic technologist as the third highest rate of employment (96.6 percent) of all allied health professions.

THE EMORY OPHTHALMIC TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM
There is a great ongoing need for comprehensively trained, qualified personnel to support ophthalmologists in the clinical practice of medicine and in ophthalmic research. The Department of Ophthalmology offers a program that will grant a master of medical science degree as well as prepare its students to sit for national board examinations to become certified ophthalmic medical technologists.

The program is accredited by CoA-OMP, the Committee on Accreditation for Ophthalmic Medical Personnel, 2025 Woodlane Drive, St. Paul, Minnesota 55125-2995, telephone 800.284.3937 or 612.731.2944.

The program accepts students annually for admission to the two-year course of study, which begins in the summer semester.

Admission Requirements
The following requirements must be satisfied for admission:

1. Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree earned at a satisfactory level of achievement from an accredited institution (or, for foreign students, completion of equivalent study). A major in science with a background in biology or physics is preferred. Nonscience major applicants will be considered if they have demonstrated an aptitude in the required courses.
2. The following courses are required of all applicants: biology, six semester hours; physics, six semester hours; chemistry, three semester hours; statistics, three semester hours; and general psychology, three semester hours. In addition, these courses are recommended and preferred within three years of matriculation: optics, three semester hours; anatomy, three semester hours with lab; physiology, three semester hours with lab.
3. Satisfactory completion of the Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical sections of the GRE (institutional code 5196) is required.
4. Applicants must supply three recommendations, with at least two professional or educational references.
5. Students receiving education in a country where English is a foreign language must successfully complete the written and spoken Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as well as provide transcripts verifying completion of one year of schooling in the United States, preferably in the basic sciences. All transcripts must be submitted by the applicant to an approved credential evaluation agency for determination of equivalency to U.S. educational standards.
6. Prior to admission, the applicant must undergo a complete physical examination and a thorough (dilated) eye examination, and comply with the program requirements listed under Technical Standards.
7. On-campus interviews with the program admissions committee are required before formal acceptance. From January to April, completed applications will be reviewed for individual qualifications. Each will receive a letter informing the candidate of his/her status. Qualified candidates will be invited for an on-campus interview that must be arranged prior to the date of intended matriculation and before notification of acceptance.
8. Approval of admission by the ophthalmic technology admissions committee and faculty completes the process.
9. Application materials will be accepted from January 1 to April 30 of the year of intended matriculation. No application will be considered without the application fee. Applicants are encouraged to submit all materials prior to the deadline. Incomplete applications or those received after the deadline will be considered when all materials are received and at the discretion of the program director and the admissions committee.

Applicants should be aware that the recommended deadline for financial aid applications is during February and March. A delay in submission of these applications may cause a delay in the receipt of any award. See the financial aid handbook of the Emory University School of Medicine for more specific details.

Technical Standards
For successful completion of the master of medical science in the ophthalmic technology degree program, the applicant must possess skills and abilities essential to the practice of ophthalmic technology. These include communication, critical thinking, physical mobility, fine motor ability, sensory ability, and mental/emotional stability.
These skills require that applicants have the ability to meet technical standards that have been established for this program. They are:

I. Communication
The individual must be able to communicate effectively and relate interpersonally with other individuals, families, and groups from a variety of social, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds.

Examples include obtaining a patient history, instructing the patient in his/her treatment regimen, answering patient and family questions regarding patient diagnoses, instructing and informing the patient and family regarding testing procedures and treatment.

II. Critical Thinking
The individual must be able to function appropriately in interpersonal relationships by exhibiting use of good judgment, empathy, reliability, and emotional stability; must possess the ability to practice appropriately in stressful situations and to work acceptably with others in order to:

A. Review and evaluate patient needs by administering tests, measurements, and evaluations.
B. Assist the physician in the plan and preparation of treatment programs that:

1. Include realistic goals in terms of diagnosis, prognosis, physical/psychosocial status, and anticipated lifestyle of the patient.
2. Include treatment methods that provide a probability of achieving treatment goals.
3. Are within resource constraints.
4. Provide for periodic revision according to changes in patient physiological states.
5. Contain specificity and comprehensiveness to the level of personnel who will execute the plan.

III. Physical Mobility and Fine Motor Skills
The individual must possess adequate motor skills and hand/eye coordination in order to:

A. Operate and adjust ophthalmic equipment for patient examination and testing.
B. Perform and administer ophthalmic diagnostic tests.
C. Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

IV. Mental and Emotional Stability
The individual must be able to effectively:

A. Interact with patients and families in a manner that provides the desired psychosocial support by:

1. Recognizing his/her own reaction to illness and disability.
2. Recognizing patients’ and families’ reactions to illness and disability.
3. Respecting individual, cultural, religious, and socioeconomic differences in people.
4. Utilizing appropriate communicative processes.

B. Demonstrate safe, ethical, and legal practice as stated by the profession.
C. Engage the greatest possible degree of patient motivation and cooperation in treatment.
D. Function effectively with other health care practitioners in providing appropriate patient care and improving the quality of patient care.
E. Be responsive to ideas and techniques that might be more appropriate or safe.

Degree Requirements
1. A minimum residence of six semesters of study.
2. Continuous enrollment from matriculation to graduation.
3. Satisfactory completion of a minimum of ninety semester hours of instruction, including thirty-three credit hours of didactics, thirty-five credit hours of clinical practicum, and twenty credit hours of a research project. In addition, students will be required to attend at least two grand rounds and seminar courses during their course study.
4. Satisfactory completion of each course with a B average.
5. Satisfactory completion of a special research project with oral presentation to the research project committee.

NATIONAL CERTIFYING EXAMINATION
In order to become nationally certified as an ophthalmic medical technologist, the student satisfactorily must complete the course of study prior to July 31 to be eligible to apply for the testing process. The student or graduate must pass a Joint Commission of Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO) computerized (written) examination for ophthalmic medical technologists by August 31. The candidate is then invited to take the JCAHPO performance test, which is a practical examination of clinical skills held annually in the fall in Minnesota. The candidate must pass both portions of the exam to become JCAHPO certified as an ophthalmic medical technologist.

OPHT 501. Grand Rounds and Seminar
Summer. Credit, 1 hour. Students will attend weekly grand rounds and research seminars and maintain a journal of new terminology, case presentation techniques, and research methods.

OPHT 502. Grand Rounds and Seminar
Fall. Credit, 1 hour. Continuation of 501.

OPHT 503. Grand Rounds and Seminar
Spring. Credit, 1 hour. Continuation of 502.

OPHT 505. Clinical Practicum: Clinical Observation
Summer. Credit, 4 hours.

OPHT 510. Introduction to Medical Assisting
Summer. Credit, 1 hour. This course will include medical terminology, medical law and ethics, and general psychology.

OPHT 515A and OPHT 515B. Clinical Practicum: Visual Fields
Summer. Credit, 1 hour. Fall. Credit, 2 hours.

OPHT 520. General and Ocular Anatomy and Physiology
Summer. Credit, 1 hour. General anatomy of the heart, circulatory system, and autonomic nervous system. Structure and physiology of ocular anatomy.

OPHT 525. Clinical Practicum: Introduction to Eye Examination
Summer. Credit, 1 hour.

OPHT 530. Introduction to Ophthalmic Examination
Summer. Credit, 3 hours. This course includes basic ocular motility, basic optics, ophthalmic pharmacology, and introduction to diseases of the eye.

OPHT 531. Abnormalities of Binocular Vision
Spring. Credit, 1 hour. Evaluation of motor fusion and sensory fusion and physiology, paralytic strabismus, structural and innervational anomalies, and surgical and nonsurgical treatment.

OPHT 532. Neuro-Ophthalmic Anatomy
Spring. Credit, 2 hours. Anatomy and function of brain, spinal cord, and neurons. Characteristics of the peripheral and cranial nerves and autonomic nervous system.

OPHT 535. Clinical Practicum: General Eye Examination
Fall. Credit, 1 hour.

OPHT 540. Diagnostic and Treatment Procedures
Summer. Credit, 3 hours. History-taking, examination of visual acuity and pupils. Proper techniques of performing slit-lamp biomicroscopy, tonometry, pachometry, keratometry, perimetry, photokeratoscopy, videokeratoscopy; and obtaining cultures of the eye and adnexa.

OPHT 545. Clinical Practicum: Oculoplastics
Fall. Credit, 2 hours.

OPHT 550. Physiologic Optics
Fall. Credit, 1 hour. The optics of the human eye. The theory of retinoscopy and the principles of refractometry.

OPHT 551. Surgical Assisting
Spring. Credit, 1 hour. Terminology and principles of sterile technique. Sterilization techniques and the proper method of surgically assisting in various ophthalmic procedures.

OPHT 555. Clinical Practicum: Glaucoma
Fall. Credit, 2 hours.

OPHT 560. Introduction to Contact Lenses/Microbiology
Fall. Credit, 2 hours. Contact lens nomenclature, lens designs, and principles of fitting contact lenses. Microbiology terminology and classification of bacteria, identifying factors, and the effects of bacteria on the eye.

OPHT 561. Advanced Contact Lens and Photography
Spring. Credit, 1 hour. Modification, inspection, polishing techniques, and verifications of proper contact lens parameters. Problem solving in contact lens fitting as well as advanced photography techniques of fluorescein angiography and ICG.

OPHT 565. Clinical Practicum: Contact Lenses
Fall. Credit, 2 hours.

OPHT 570. General Medical Knowledge
Fall. Credit, 1 hour. This course will cover systemic disorders and their ocular manifestations.

OPHT 575. Clinical Practicum: Cornea
Spring. Credit, 2 hours.

OPHT 580. Ancillary Testing and Equipment Maintenance
Fall. Credit, 3 hours. This course will include ophthalmic photography, care and maintenance of ophthalmic equipment, electrophysiology, low vision, and supervision of ophthalmic medical personnel.

OPHT 585. Clinical Practicum: Low Vision
Spring. Credit, 1 hour.

OPHT 591. Clinical Research Methods I
Spring. Credit, 2 hours. Development of a research project by writing a study protocol, developing a consent form, and submitting it to the internal review board for approval.

OPHT 595. Clinical Practicum: Pediatric Ophthalmology and Electrophysiology
Spring. Credit, 2 hours.

OPHT 596. Clinical Practicum: Retina
Spring. Credit, 2 hours.

OPHT 597. Clinical Practicum: Echography
Spring. Credit, 1 hour.

OPHT 605A, B. Clinical Practicum: Surgical Assisting
Summer. Credit, 2 hours. Fall. Credit, 1 hour.

OPHT 610. Review of Anatomy
Summer. Credit, 1 hour.

OPHT 615. Visual Fields/Photography
Spring. Credit, 2 hours.

OPHT 620. Review of Optics and Pharmacology
Summer. Credit, 1 hour.

OPHT 630. Review of Microbiology and Contact Lenses
Fall. Credit, 2 hours.

OPHT 631. Review of Ocular Motility
Fall. Credit, 1 hour.

OPHT 635A, OPHT 635B. Clinical Practicum: Photography
Summer and fall. Credit, 1 hour each.

OPHT 640. Diagnostic Procedures Review
Spring. Credit, 1 hour.

OPHT 645. Clinical Practicum: Motility
Summer. Credit, 1 hour.

OPHT 650. General Medical Knowledge
Fall. Credit, 1 hour.

OPHT 655. Clinical Practicum: Glaucoma
Summer. Credit, 1 hour.

OPHT 660. Ancillary Testing Review
Spring. Credit, 1 hour. Review of echography, photography, microbiology, and electrophysiology.

OPHT 665A, OPHTB. Clinical Practicum: Contact Lenses
Summer and fall. Credit, 1 hour each.

OPHT 670A, OPHT 670B, OPHT 670C. Research Project I
Summer. Credit, 5 hours. Fall. Credit, 5 hours. Spring. Credit, 10 hours.

OPHT 680. Review of Eye Diseases
Spring. Credit, 1 hour.

OPHT 691. Clinical Research Methods
Summer. Credit, 2 hours. Use the principles covered in 591 to perform clinical research, recruit qualified patients, collect patient data, and analyze and communicate findings orally and in writing.

OPHT 695A, OPHT 695B. Clinical Practicum: Electrophysiology
Fall and spring. Credit, 1 hour each.

OPHT 696. Clinical Practicum: Neuro-Ophthalmology
Fall. Credit, 2 hours.

OPHT 697. Clinical Practicum: Echography
Spring. Credit, 1 hour.

Master of Medical Science Degree for Returning Graduates

Graduates of the program in orthoptics and ophthalmic technology at Emory University or an equivalent institution can apply to resume their studies in order to obtain a master of medical science degree for ophthalmic technologists.

The master of medical science degree curriculum for returning graduates is composed of didactic, clinical, and research project development and presentation to be completed during two academic semesters. Specific didactic lectures and clinical rotations will be offered to update clinical skills and to aid the student in the development of a research project to be presented to the research project committee for oral defense and also to be submitted for publication.

Admission Requirements
1. The applicant must have a baccalaureate degree.
2. The applicant must be an actively certified (by JCAHPO) ophthalmic medical technologist.
3. The applicant must have attended and successfully completed a two-year accredited program in ophthalmic technology.
4. The applicant must have the recommendation of the program director or department chair of his/her technology program.
5. All applicants will be admitted only with the recommendation of the admissions committee and the completion of the personal interview process.
6. Satisfactory completion of the verbal, quantitative, and analytic sections of the GRE (institutional code 5196).

Application materials must be submitted two months prior to the date of intended matriculation. Interviews with program faculty must also be arranged prior to date of intended matriculation.

Degree Requirements
1. A minimum residence of two semesters in the master of medical science program in ophthalmic technology.
2. Enrollment from matriculation to graduation.
3. Satisfactory completion of a minimum of twenty-five semester hours of instruction to include six credit hours of didactic coursework, four credit hours of clinical practicum, and fifteen credit hours of a research project.
4. Satisfactory completion of all courses with an overall average of B or higher.
5. Satisfactory completion of a special research project with an oral presentation to the research project committee.

REQUIRED COURSES

OPHT 601. Grand Rounds and Seminar
Fall. Credit, 1 hour. Students will attend weekly grand rounds and Wednesday research seminars and maintain a journal of new terminology, case presentation techniques, and research methods.

OPHT 602. Grand Rounds and Seminar
Spring. Credit, 1 hour. Continuation of OPHT 601.

OPHT 603. Grand Rounds and Seminar
Summer. Credit, 1 hour. Continuation of OPHT 602.

OPHT 670A. Research Project I
Fall. Credit, 5 hours.

OPHT 670C. Research Project II
Spring. Credit, 10 hours.

OPHT 691A. Clinical Research Methods I
Fall. Credit, 2 hours. Development of a research project by writing a study protocol, developing a consent form, and submission to the internal review board for approval.

OPHT 691B. Clinical Research Methods II
Spring. Credit, 2 hours. Use the principles covered in OPHT 691A to perform clinical research. Recruit qualified patients, collect patient data, and analyze and communicate findings orally and in writing.

OPHT 693. Clinical Elective/Specialization
Fall. Credit, 4 hours. The student will select an area of subspecialty or interest and develop specialized clinical skills and improve patient examination techniques.

top