Mission
To prepare physicians as leaders in providing comprehensive ophthalmic care, in planning for the eye care needs of their community, and in educating themselves, their colleagues and the patients and families they serve.

Program overview
Residents in the Department of Ophthalmology complete all of their clinical training at the main campus at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.

The program is designed with an emphasis on comprehensive ophthalmology education with rotations in the subspecialties of ophthalmology. Residents in their first year in ophthalmology have as their primary duties the supervision of the walk-in or emergency clinic, daily refractions, and complete ophthalmic examinations.  The residents assist in the operating room 1 ½ days/week and perform a variety of ocular procedures as the primary surgeon.

These residents complete 12 months clinical work including rotations in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus as well as neuro-ophthalmology. 

Residents in their second year in ophthalmology have a rotation away from the home institution at the Lancaster Basic Science Course held at Colby College in Maine for six weeks in the summer between their first and second years. They also have a rotation at the Wills Eye Hospital in ophthalmic pathology, which lasts two months for each resident in the spring of their second year as well as rotations in retina, glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmology, pediatric ophthalmology and low vision and contact lens. 

These residents are responsible for managing more complicated cases under appropriate attending supervision and have extensive experience in intraocular surgery including cataract surgery. During the third year in ophthalmology the residents are responsible for inpatient systemic disease consultations and the management of more complex ophthalmic cases under appropriate attending supervision. The residents perform the full range of intraocular surgery and laser surgery and are responsible for pre-, intra- and post-operative care once again under appropriate attending supervision. Rotations in the third year include retina, low vision and contact lens, oculoplastics and neuro-ophthalmology. Resident in the third year may also take a two-week elective at the Tilganga Hospital in Nepal. This rotation provides a rich cultural and medical experience as well as insight into the challenges of third world medicine. 

Each third-year Ophthalmology residents acts as chief resident for a six-month period assisting the residency director in the administrative duties of the residency and organizing the on-call schedule, grand rounds, morbidity and mortality conferences, pathology conferences and guest lectures.Subspecialty education is balanced with comprehensive ophthalmology education through allowing the residents to care for a panel of patients in their general ophthalmology clinic from the first day of their residency. The resident has the opportunity to experience the natural progression of diseases in their population and the equivalence of their experience is assured through both subspecialty rotations and the intimate interaction with their fellow residents and faculty.

The residents have their clinic in the same venue as the faculty and have the staff immediately available for consultation. The residents enjoy increasing levels of autonomy as their experience and knowledge allows and the resident works up each patient on their own before the attending physician is brought in to confirm their findings and diagnostic plan.There is no distinction made for private versus clinic or insurance type of patients. All faculty and residents draw patients from the same pool of insurers and patient pathology. Educational and service needs are balanced by the evaluation of each rotation and clinical experience by the program director. 

In addition, the program director assures that there are a number of levels of supervision available to the residents.  These include the sub-specialists in the clinic who are available at any time for consultation, the physician on call, and the supervising physician who is available each day in the clinic for routine questions or other supervisory needs.  The faculty of the Department of Ophthalmology believes that residents learn best when they are given the opportunity to examine patients under appropriate supervision and with the availability of diagnostic tools and subspecialty consultation.