Resident Ajay Singh and Residency Program Director Dr. Susan Ksiazek in the microsurgical wet-lab.

PGY-2 | First Year Ophthalmology Residents

First year residents are given a series of introductory lectures prior to commencing clinical duties. A formal course in optics and refraction is given, followed by introductory lectures on detailed ocular history and examination, common ophthalmic disorders, management of ocular emergencies, ocular pharmacology, retinal function testing, ethics, policies and procedures of the eye clinic, hospital computer training, operating room procedures and on-call procedures. First year residents spend 8 months acquiring skills in general eye care, with balanced exposure to subspecialty services. The experience is rounded out by 4 months covering the inpatient/consult service at the University of Chicago, which includes the Bernard Mitchell Adult Hospital, Comer Children’s Hospital and the Chicago Lying-In Hospital. First year residents commence duties as primary surgeon in Pediatric and Oculoplastic cases and as assistants on a wide variety of other surgical procedures. Residents also begin seeing patients in their Continuity Clinic that they will follow throughout the duration of residency. The first year resident takes call approximately every sixth night on a rotating basis, with backup from a third year resident. The three rotation blocks, which last 4 months each, are:

1. General/Refraction/Pediatrics/Retina/Neuro-ophthalmology
2. Inpatient/Consults
3. General/Anterior Segment/Oculoplastics –  NorthShore University

PGY-3 | Second Year Ophthalmology Residents

Second year ophthalmology residents assume increasing responsibility in clinics and the operating room and supervise first year residents in clinics. Primary call is taken approximately every sixth night. The three rotation blocks, which each last 4 months, are:

1. Pediatrics/Retina/ERG
2. Cornea/Oculoplastics
3. Glaucoma/General

PGY-4 | Third Year Ophthalmology Residents

Third year ophthalmology residents supervise and assist first and second year residents, back up junior residents on call, and hone their surgical skills. The three rotation blocks, which each last 4 months, are:

1. Cornea/Uveitis/Refractive Surgery
2. Comprehensive/Neuro-ophthalmology
3. General/Cornea/Glaucoma/Retina – NorthShore University