 Why Hire a Program-Trained
Ophthalmic Technologist?
This is your assurance that an individual has met specific academic criteria set forth
by leading agencies in the field.
Accredited educational programs go through an intensive process of review by the Committee
on Accreditation of Ophthalmic Personnel. This
involved process assures that appropriate educational and clinical criteria are met by
graduates of training programs. Graduates of accredited programs are then eligible to sit
for national written and practical board exams given by the Joint Commission on Allied
Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO).
A graduate of the Ophthalmic Technology Program at Eastern Virginia Medical School /
Old Dominion University has trained alongside the ophthalmology residents at EVMS
for 22 months. Students participate in all residency clinics, many lectures
in the residency series, and monthly grand rounds. Additionally, Ophthalmic Technology
students attend approximately 400 hours of "tech" lectures during the two-year
program. (Please refer to the curriculum for an overview.)
 Ophthalmic Technology students are closely supervised during clinics, and skills are honed
during the program. Several externships provide practical experience in
"patient flow" and office efficiency, as well as specific areas like contact
lens fitting and pediatric evaluation (please refer to
The Clinical
Skills Program.) Second-year students also learn the art of supervision and assist
in training first-year students.
An ophthalmologist is busy seeing his/her patients. Who has time for in-office
training of personnel? A certified, program-trained ophthalmic technologist (COMT) is
trained at the highest level of ophthalmic medical personnel. They are qualified and
prepared to assist you in examining a variety of patients, performing diagnostic testing, and
providing training to your office employees. For more information on the Ophthalmic
Technology Program, contact optech@evms.edu or call (757) 388-3747. |
