The Basic & Clinical Science Course in Ophthalmology

We are excited to share that the Basic & Clinical Science Course in Ophthalmology will be held in person at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in January 2025. As in previous years, this 4-week course will be taught by an international faculty of more than 80 clinicians and scientists who are experts in their respective fields within vision science and ophthalmology. In addition to over 100 hours of lecture, the course includes a day of orbital dissection, an oculoplastics workshop for fillers and facial rejuvenation, two days of instruction in retinoscopy and refraction, a hands-on ultrasound imaging workshop, glaucoma dry labs, and a 1 & 1/2 day Phaco wet-lab. 

Now in its 84th year, the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute at the Columbia University Department of Ophthalmology has been offering an annual ophthalmology basic science course since 1941. While the focus of the course is resident training, it has also proven useful for the visual sciences community. Coursework examines the fundamentals of vision and emphasizes how these basic principles relate to patient care. The curriculum is developed by a committee of active scientists, practicing clinicians and the chief academic resident, and updated annually to include the most recent scientific advances and any controversial developments in the field. It is also continuously revised in response to feedback from previous course evaluations. The background reading text for the course is The Basic and Clinical Science Course from The Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, San Francisco, CA.  

Course Director
Ronald Silverman, PhD

Co-Directors
Vlad Diaconita, MD
Nan-Kai Wang, MD, PhD