Program Year 4

The final year of residency fosters an environment focused on increased clinical and surgical autonomy.  This year consists of four rotations, each 3 months in duration: 

Sonny G Montgomery VA Medical Center:

This rotation provides the opportunity for extensive training in phacoemulsification cataract surgery with monofocal, three piece, toric, and premium lenses. Other procedures include manual small incision cataract surgery, miLoop assisted cataract extraction for especially dense cataracts, pterygium excisions, microinvasive glaucoma procedures, retina surgery, and oculoplastic procedures and surgeries.  The senior resident also helps to lead clinic along with his or her first and second year co-residents in managing various ocular pathologies. 

Glaucoma/Cornea - GC4:

The senior resident spends time with two glaucoma specialists and receives extensive training in managing and treating patients with various types of glaucoma including open angle, narrow angle, pseudoexfoliation, pigment dispersion, congenital, juvenile, phacomorphic, phacoantigenic, neovascular glaucoma, and many more.  This rotation provides the resident with the opportunity to perform selective laser trabeculoplasty, YAG capsulotomy, microinvasive glaucoma procedures such as the Hydrus and XEN gel stent placement, cataract surgery, glaucoma filtering tube surgery, trabeculectomy, and several other procedures.

Chief:

The chief is primarily responsible for managing the inpatient hospital service and performing daytime globe trauma surgeries.  The chief also works in comprehensive and glaucoma clinics and serves to backup the daytime consult resident as needed.  He/she also performs scheduled ophthalmic surgery including cataract and corneal procedures.

The Resident Clinic:

The resident manages a daily rotating subspecialty clinic of comprehensive ophthalmology, glaucoma, cornea, and retina.  They encounter a wide variety of complex ocular and systemic conditions.   During this rotation, the resident also encounters a variety of complex and challenging cataract cases that help to further develop the skills and confidence necessary to tackle challenging cataract cases.