Hefner VA Medical Center Optometry Service
Salisbury, North Carolina
Supporting the Veterans Health Administration’s
Training & Education Mission
Optometry Training Program
Hefner VA Medical Center
Salisbury, North Carolina
Clinical Overview
- Primary Care Clinics
- Specialty Contact Lens Clinics
- Advanced Low Vision Clinic
- Geriatric Evaluation and Management Clinics
- Polytrauma/TBI Clinics
- Rotations with Ophthalmology Subspecialties
• Glaucoma
• Retina
• Cornea
Seven positions available 2018/2019
Externship Program
Active educational program serving six affiliated schools or colleges of optometry
Academic Affiliations
Residency Program in Primary Eye Care
- Affiliated with Southern College of Optometry
Six Affiliated Externship Programs
- Southern College of Optometry
- Salus University (PCO)
- The Ohio State University
- NOVA Southeastern University
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Illinois College of Optometry
About the Salisbury VA
- One of the top five fastest growing VAMCs
- Third largest optometry program in the VA
- Optometry Service made up of over 40 staff based at four locations – including 19 staff optometrists
- On-Site Retina, Glaucoma, Cornea & Comprehensive Ophthalmology
- Optometry Service (Organized under the hospital’s Chief of Staff):
• Over 44,000 eye examinations
• Over 80,000 patient encounters (including low vision, telehealth, etc.)
Clinical Experience
Work with experienced providers from multiple disciplines
- Residents rotate with retina, glaucoma & cornea specialists
* Weekly case conferences and lecture presentations
Common Clinical Experiences
Emphasis on Ocular Disease
- Diabetic and other vascular diseases
- Age-related macular degeneration
- Glaucoma management
• Almost 3,000 active patients with glaucoma
- Ocular manifestations of systemic diseases
• Extensive experience with posterior segment
• On-site imaging & laboratory
• All medical records, images and reports available on the electronic medical record
Expanded Clinical Experiences
Advanced Low Vision (Residents & Externs)
- Staff doctors with extensive training and experience
- Wide range of low vision devices and equipment
- Multidisciplinary staff including certified staff in Low Vision Therapy, Orientation & Mobility, Vision Rehabilitation Training, and Computer
- Access
Neuro-Vision Rehabilitation (Residents & Externs)
- Experience with Acquired Brain Injury (Trauma, CVA, etc)
Specialty Contact Lenses (Residents)
Medically necessary contact lenses
- Keratoconus
- Post refractive
- Anisometropia
- High refractive error
- Glare protective
- Prosthetic lenses
Geriatric care (Residents & Externs)
- Extensive experience with older patients
- Bedside eye exams (occasional)
- Geriatric Evaluation and Management Clinic
• Separate Multi-disciplinary clinic including optometry
Research (available upon request)
- Opportunity to collaborate with local VA optometry researchers with over $1.8 million in funding for vision related projects
Facilities
Salisbury VA Medical Center
- Main hospital & Eye Clinics
- Optometry & Ophthalmology specialty care
- In-Patient, Long-Term & Most Out-Patient Specialty Care
Kernersville VA Health Care Center
- Optometry & Ophthalmology specialty care
- Advanced Low Vision
- Specialty Contact Lenses
Charlotte VA Health Care Center
- Optometry & Ophthalmology specialty care
- Advanced Low Vision
- Specialty Contact Lenses
Salisbury VA Medical Center
Salisbury Optometry Clinic
- 12 eye exam rooms (additional support rooms)
- Cirrus OCT (Posterior segment)
- Visante OCT (Anterior segment)
- Humphrey field analyzer
- Digital retinal camera
- Digital slit lamp camera
- Micro Perimeter
- Octopus Visual field
- Pentacam
Kernersville VA Health Care Center
Opening February 2016
- 16 Exam Lanes
- 2 Cirrus OCTs
• with OCT angiography
- Ocular Cameras
- Ocular Ultrasound
- Contact Lens Clinic
- Advanced Low Vision
Charlotte VA Health Care Center
Opening April 2016
- 22 Exam Lanes
- 2 Cirrus OCTs
• with OCT angiography
- Pentacam
- Ocular Cameras
- Ocular Ultrasound
- Contact Lens Clinic
- Advanced Low Vision
Salisbury VA Residency Program Strengths
- Diverse backgrounds of staff ODs representing multiple optometry training programs
- Large patient volume
- Weekly educational conferences
• Case presentations
• Fluorescein discussion
• OCT discussion
• Lectures by Staff Doctors and Residents
Committed to Veteran Care and Educating Future Generations of Optometrists
Contact:
Jeff Joy, OD, FAAO
[email protected]
W.G. 'Bill' Hefner VA Medical Center
Jeffrey T. Joy, OD, FAAO
Optometric Residency Supervisor
Optometry Service
Mail code 11I
1601 Brenner Ave.
Salisbury, NC 28144
704-638-9000 ext 13783
704-645-6020 (f)