VHA Optometry Service Internet Website

Introduction

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Optometry Service was created by Public Law 94-581 on October 21, 1976 with the establishment of the Director of Optometric Service position. In that law, optometrists were also transferred with podiatrists into Chapter 73 of title 38, United States Code that had previously included dentists, allopathic and osteopathic physicians.

During the more than a quarter century since its inception, VHA Optometry Service has gradually developed into providing the majority of primary eye care and low vision rehabilitation services for our Nation's veterans. Our high quality optometry education programs are affiliated with Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) accredited schools and colleges of optometry. Every year over 800 optometry doctoral candidates, who are primarily in their senior year of the four year post-baccalaureate optometry professional education program, rotate to VA medical facilities for clinical education and training. About two thirds of the 1200 to 1300 annual graduates of the seventeen ACOE accredited schools and colleges of optometry in the United States have performed public health care services at most VHA medical facilities to distinguished U.S. citizens, our Nation's veterans.

Every year, there are over 110 optometry residency positions available for development of advanced clinical competence. There are three optometric research fellowship programs to train the next generation of eye and vision care researchers. All of these VA post-graduate year (PGY1) optometry residency programs are ACOE accredited and affiliated with schools and colleges of optometry.  Of the more than 400 clinically privileged optometrists in the Veterans Health Administration about 60% have Optometry  faculty appointments and are involved in the clinical training and education of future eye doctors.  Approximately 10% of VA optometrists have a faculty appointment at school or college of medicine.

Through funded research grants that are provided by the VA Research Service, the National Eye Institute of the National Institute of Halth and private sources, many VA optometrists actively participate in low vision rehabilitation as well as basic research and multi-center clinical trials. The results of these research projects have resulted in improved ocular disease prevention and low vision rehabilitation outcomes for the rapidly increasing number of significantly visually impaired and legally blind veterans. Age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and cataracts continue to be leading causes of preventable blindness in the United States.

To complement inpatient Blind Rehabilitation Centers, outpatient low vision rehabilitation clinics and Visual Impairment Center To Optimize Remaining Sight (VICTORS) programs are available. The development of these special clinical programs mirrors the national distribution of VA optometrists. From now to the year  2020, it is estimated that there are over 1,000,000 veterans with significant visual impairment and legal blindness who could benefit from varying levels of low vision and blind rehabilitation services.

Within the Medical/Surgical Strategic Healthcare Group (SHG) in Patient Care Services at VA Central Office, optometry and ophthalmology are equal partners working together to provide the full spectrum of primary, secondary and tertiary eye care services. By utilizing the complementary strengths of both eye care professions, our Nation's veterans have greatly benefited. This strategic alliance has resulted in the creation of the diabetic retinal eye examination clinical indicator from  VHA Clinical Guideline on Management of Diabetes Mellitus, March 1997 as well as  VHA Clinical Practice Guideline on Screening for Glaucoma in the Primary Care Setting, December 1998. These VHA clinical practice guidelines were intended to reduce preventable vision loss and blindness from diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.

In the future, innovative strategies to improve the delivery of high quality eye care services and clinical outcomes will be developed so that we may continue to provide excellence in patient care, education and research to meet the ever-changing needs of the veterans we serve.