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Residency Profile: CCL University Eye Center at Ketchum Health, Anaheim, CA

Residency in Cornea and Contact Lenses

Photo of the University Eye Center at Ketchum Health building in Anaheim, CA

Established: 1991

Positions: Two

University Eye Center (UEC) at Ketchum Health
Southern California College of Optometry (SCCO) at
Marshall B. Ketchum University (MBKU)
5460 E. La Palma Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92807

Program Faculty

Residency Coordinator: Dawn Lam MSc, OD, FAAO

Attending Faculty Members and Area of Special Interest:

  • Elaine Chen, OD, FAAO, FSLS / Irregular Corneas, Myopia Control, Dry Eyes, Scleral Lens
  • Dawn Lam, MSc, OD, FAAO / Irregular Corneas, Myopia Control, Ocular Prosthetics
  • Eunice Myung Lee, OD, FAAO / Pediatric Contact Lens Care
  • Erin Rueff, OD, PhD, FAAO / Irregular Corneas, Orthokeratology, Dry Eyes, Refractive Surgery Co-Management
  • Katherine Zhang, OD, FAAO / Irregular Corneas, Scleral Lens, Myopia Control
  • Jessica Sun, OD, FAAO / Irregular Corneas, Scleral Lens
  • Heidi Wagner, OD, MPH, FAAO*/ Irregular Corneas, Myopia Control
  • Erin Tomiyama, OD, PhD, FAAO / Irregular Corneas, Myopia Control 

Biographies for each of the Cornea and Contact Lens residency faculty may be found on-line at ketchum.edu/directory.

Emeritus Faculty with interactions with the Residents

  • Timothy Edrington, OD, FAAO*

*Faculty who are diplomates of the Cornea and Contact Lens and Refractive Technology (CCLRT) section of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO)

Mission Statement

The mission of the cornea and contact lens residency is to develop the resident’s clinical expertise in specialty contact lens fitting and management, as well as the assessment and management of corneal disease using the full scope of optometric procedures and treatment options.

Program Description

The CCL residency is based at the University Eye Center at Ketchum Health, a full-equipped patient care facility owned and operated by the Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University (SCCO @ MBKU). The residency is full-time, formal, supervised program combining patient care, didactic education, teaching experience and scholarly activities. 

Program Goals

  1. To enhance the resident's clinical experience in cornea and contact lens patient care through fitting specialty contact lenses and designing contact lenses beyond the entry-level competency achieved at the completion of the optometry degree.
  2. To expand the resident's skills, experience, knowledge base, and management of cornea and contact lens patients whose vision loss emanates from an anterior segment disease process.
  3. To develop the resident's skills and proficiency in fitting and designing prosthetic lenses.
  4. To develop the resident's skills and proficiency in examining and fitting pediatric patients with contact lenses.
  5. To develop the resident's appreciation of scholarly activities and life-long learning.
  6. To prepare the resident for clinical teaching, independent practice, clinical research, or a combination thereof, with emphasis on contact lenses and diagnosis and management of corneal and related contact lens problems.
  7. To develop the resident's interactive communication skills and appreciation of effective co-management with other providers.

Program Objectives

  1. To enhance the resident's clinical proficiency and competency in the care of cornea and contact lens patients through management of a wide variety of cases.
  2. The resident will examine and observe a large variety of patients with multiple refractive and corneal conditions at the UEC.
  3. The resident will regularly examine patients who currently utilize a prosthetic device or who need a prosthetic fitting.
  4. The resident will regularly examine pediatric patients who would benefit from wearing contact lenses for myopia control and medical indications.
  5. The resident will read articles, attend continuing education courses, view webinars, create and present lectures, and create and present posters.
  6. The resident will precept third- and fourth-year students providing patient care, facilitate group discussions in the contact lens seminar and grand rounds course, participate in continuing education lectures and workshops, and conduct and write-up original research or write-up a case series utilizing an extensive literature search. 
  7. The residents will shadow corneal ophthalmologists performing surgery and patient care rounds at the University of California, Irvine, (UCI) Department of Ophthalmology at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute. The residents will also shadow Dr. Gloria Chiu, a past resident, at the University of Southern California (USC) Roski Eye Institute.

Typical Weekly and Daily Schedule at the University Eye Center

The residency is 12 months in length, beginning July 1 and ending June 30. The residents are scheduled 26 to 30 hours per week of direct contact lens patient care. The residents receive weekly individual tutorial instruction with the cornea and contact lens residency coordinator. Patient cases are also reviewed at this time. In addition, the resident receives individual tutorial instruction from the members of the cornea and contact lens service faculty.

During the Spring Quarter, the residents each independently staff SCCO/MBKU optometry students providing patient care at the UEC. Scholarly activity time includes library time, poster presentations for the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) and Global Specialty Lens Symposium meetings, research design, data collection, and final paper preparation, developing lectures for CE courses and students, etc. The cornea and contact lens residents participate in UEC's after-hours doctor-on-call rotation.

The residents are provided a schedule on a quarterly basis from the residency coordinator, which coincides with the College’s academic calendar. The schedule included direct patient care, scholarly/administrative time, and teaching opportunities.

This is a typical weekly schedule for the CCL resident.

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

8am – 12pm Direct Patient Care

8am – 12pm Scholarly / Administrative Activities

8am – 12pm Prosthetics Clinic

8am – 12pm Pediatric CL Clinic

8am – 10am Direct Patient Care

10am – 12pm Meet with Dr. Lam

12pm – 1pm Lunch

12pm – 1pm       CL Service Meeting

12pm – 2pm Lunch

12pm – 1pm Journal Club

12pm – 1pm Lunch

1pm – 5pm Direct Patient Care

1pm – 3pm      Meet with Dr. Lam

3pm – 5pm Direct Patient Care

2pm – 6pm    Direct Patient Care

1pm – 2pm Seminar Topic

3pm – 5pm Direct Patient Care

1pm – 5pm Direct Patient Care

*Schedule is subject to change each quarter to align with the academic calendar at the College. 

Type and Number of Patients

The residents provide care to patients with keratoconus and pellucid marginal degeneration and patients who have had radial keratotomy, LASIK and/or penetrating keratoplasties. They also provide care to patients requiring ocular prosthetic devices, pediatric patients requiring contact lens correction for aphakia or myopia control, and patients with dry eyes. Our recent residents have participated annually in over 700 patient visits at the University Eye Center at Ketchum Health.

After Hours On-Call Responsibilities

The CCL residents will share an after-hours on-call schedule with the Pediatric Optometry and Vision Therapy and Rehabilitation (POVT) residents. The residents are on-call a week at a time and paired with a faculty member from SCCO. Because four residents rotate through the on-call schedule, each resident will end up being on-call approximately 25% of the time during their residency year.

Teaching Responsibilities

Residents will on occasion have third- or fourth-year professional students assigned to observe and assist them in the fitting and follow-up care of contact lens patients. It is expected that the residents will reinforce and validate the knowledge and clinical skills developed by sharing them with the students, thus enhancing the learning experience.

The residents directly supervise optometric interns in the UEC one half day per week during the latter part of the residency. The residents also actively participate as a discussion leader for the third-year students’ cornea and contact lens seminar and grand rounds course.

Lecturing Opportunities

The residents are afforded opportunities to present lectures to the second, third- and fourth-year students as part of the contact lens curriculum. Opportunities also exist to present continuing education courses at SCCO and at local optometric societies.

Scholarly Activities

Scholarly activity will include the following:

  Thesis Paper

Preparation and completion of a case series paper or original research project suitable for presentation and publication is a requirement of the program.

Scleral GP and Orthokeratology Lens Fitting Evenings

The residents conduct a fitting workshop for our third-year optometric students.

Stipend

The residents will receive an annual stipend of $62,400 (not contingent upon productivity). No tuition or application fees are paid by the residents to the University.

Benefits

   Health

The University offers the resident the option of electing to purchase medical insurance, as per the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Residents will receive information from Human Resources during a new hire orientation.

403(B) Voluntary Retirement Savings Plan

Residents have the opportunity to articipate by contributing to the University 403(B) Voluntary Retirement Savings Plan.

Holidays

Resident are given approximately 13 days off during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Residents also get one floating holiday to be used only for religious or cultural holidays, employee birthdays, or other state or federal holidays during which the University remains open.

Educational Travel

Residents are encouraged to apply for travel grants through the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) section on Cornea, Contact Lenses and Refractive Technologies, to attend the AAO Annual Meeting. Externally sponsored travel grants may available for the GPLI and Global Specialty Lens Symposium.

Paid Time Off

Residents will be provided 3 days of paid time off. Should the resident request additional days off, both the residency coordinator and the director of residency programs must approve it. Equivalent time is subject to be made up for time off beyond 3 days.

Liability Insurance Coverage

The residents will be provided with professional liability insurance while practicing at UEC.

Completion Requirements

  1. Quarterly Encounter Activity Report
  2. Quarterly Patient Diagnosis Log
  3. Quarterly Faculty Evaluations
  4. Quarterly Program Evaluations
  5. Quarterly Resident Referral Log
  6. Quarterly Resident Activity Log
  7. Quarterly Resident Reading Log
  8. End of the Year Evaluation of Program
  9. Certification of Completion of Residency Requirements
  10. Resident Contact Address after Completion
  11. Be present for complete academic year from July 1 through June 30 except when on approved vacation, sick or authorized absence days.
  12. Provide quality, compassionate, and ethical care to all UEC patients.
  13. Prepare and complete a case series paper or original research project suitable for presentation and publication.
  14. Prepare and present a lecture for SCCO at MBKU Residency Forum.
  15. Reconcile any charges at the bookstore and return any borrowed library resources.

Application Prerequisites

  • Attainment of the OD degree from a school or college of optometry accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE);
  • Successful completion of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) Part I and II;
  • Satisfactory fulfillment of all requirements to allow for California State optometric licensure; this includes successful completion of NBEO Part III and passing the California State Board of Optometry Law Exam.
  • Applicants must submit 3 letters of recommendation, two letters must be from full-time faculty members who have been most responsible for the clinical education of the applicant.

Selection Process

  • A personal interview is required.
  • Applicants must apply through the ORMatch Application Service.
  • On or before January 15 of the residency year, applicants should have on file with the Residency Coordinator:
    • A current curriculum vitae (CV).
    • A one-page letter of intent, discussing the reasons for pursuing residency training, in general, and this program, in particular; expectations from the residency experience; any interested areas of specialization; and future professional goals.
    • Official transcripts of work completed in optometry school.
    • NBEO transcripts of completed sections.
    • Letters of recommendation from three faculty members two of which should be from full-time faculty members closely acquainted with the applicant's clinical proficiency.
  • After receiving all the ORMatch applications to the program, each applicant is contacted via email or by phone whether he/she will be offered an interview.  Typically, the top third of the applicant pool will be invited to an interview.
  • The candidate will meet with the Residency Coordinator, the Chief of the Cornea and Contact Lens Service and other available Cornea and Contact Lens faculty during the interview process.
  • Each member of the interviewing team will complete the residency interview score sheet independently and state the residency candidates' strengths and weaknesses.  When all the applicants have been interviewed and their subsequent score sheets are completed, the Residency Coordinator tallies all the submitted scores and ranks the applicants.  This is followed by an open discussion among the interviewers to ensure that the ranking of the applicants is acceptable to all.
  • The Residency Coordinator then submits the names of the residency candidates to ORMatch before the deadline date.

Program Accreditation

The Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE - www.theacoe.org - 243 N. Lindbergh Blvd. - St. Louis, MO - 63141) granted the status of “accredited” for the program in 2015. The next currently scheduled site visit will take place in 11 / 2024.

staff members

staff members

staff members

Contact Information

Dawn Lam, MSc, OD, FAAO
Cornea and Contact Lens Residency Coordinator / Associate Professor
Southern California College of Optometry at
Marshall B. Ketchum University
2575 Yorba Linda Blvd.
Fullerton, CA 92831
714.463.7573 • dlam@ketchum.edu

Judy W.H. Tong, OD, FAAO
Assistant Dean of Residencies
Southern California College of Optometry at
Marshall B. Ketchum University
2575 Yorba Linda Blvd.
Fullerton, CA 92831-1699
714.463.7568 • Fax: 714.992.7811• jtong@ketchum.edu