As a medical student, deciding which ophthalmology residency to apply to can be overwhelming—which of the 120 or more ophthalmology residency programs in the United States should you even send your application to?
This article and quiz have been updated for 2025 with fresh data!
Choosing your ophthalmology residency
Ultimately, choosing an ophthalmology residency comes down to a variety of factors, which can include:
- Location
- Faculty-resident ratio
- Funding
- Type of program (joint versus integrated)
- Number of procedures performed by residents
- Whether or not all major specialties are represented among the faculty
- Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic affiliation
Not to mention more esoteric factors like national reputation or personal factors that are unique to you and your situation, such as family needs.
Top 5 ophthalmology residency programs
- Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami
- Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals
- Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Stein and Doheny Eye Institutes, UCLA Medical Center
(According to US News & World Report and EyeRounds.org)
Using the ophthalmology residency tool
Our ophthalmology residency tool is meant to be a starting point. Answer the questions, then use your results to start your research!
See our list of the ophthalmology residency programs in the United States and Puerto Rico below, and best of luck with your application!
The tool will ask you questions about your interest in:
Program size
The average ophthalmology residency program size is four residents per year.
National reputation
While reputation is a nebulous factor to measure, many residency programs possess immediate name recognition. All ophthalmology residency programs are required to meet the standards set by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for accreditation, which ensures that residents receive a thorough clinical education.
Research
While accreditation standards mean that every program will offer critical opportunities for residents to develop their skills across the board, some programs will also offer expanded opportunities to pursue research and get involved in clinical trials.
Location
For many students, location might be a significant factor in your decision. The recent update to the ophthalmology residency match process means that residents are less likely to have to expect to move after PGY-1.
Joint or integrated programs
In 2020, the American Academy of Ophthalmology moved towards an integrated 4-year structure. This means that ophthalmology residencies now include a joint PGY-1 year linked with the ophthalmology residency, or an integrated program from PGY-1 to PGY-4, all run through a department of ophthalmology. This process was fully implemented in the 2023 match cycle.1
In both types of programs, students will spend all 4 years at one institution, however, in an integrated program, the ophthalmology program director is in charge of all PGY-1 residents. In a joint program, preliminary year residents report to a director, typically from internal medicine, general surgery, or another supervising department.
Additionally, during the first year of a joint program, intern residents spend 3 months in ophthalmology along with 9 months in either internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, or general surgery, depending on the program arrangement.1 While the majority of ophthalmology residency programs are still joint, there are currently over 40 integrated programs.
Specialties
Many, but not all, residency programs will have full-time faculty representing each sub-specialty in ophthalmology. Residencies that do not will often have part-time faculty or connections with ophthalmologists in other sub-specialties. If you know you are interested in pursuing a specific sub-specialty, or that you will be interested in pursuing fellowship, make sure that the programs to which you apply include faculty representing those specialties.
VA opportunities
Many, but not all, residency programs will offer opportunities with the VA.
Number of faculty
While the average program size might be three to four students per year, it's the faculty/resident ratio that determines the amount of focused attention and coaching residents will receive. For this calculator, we factored in full-time faculty, associate faculty, research faculty who regularly instruct classes, and community faculty members.
Notes on individual program statistics:
- The total number of spots for joint programs includes PGY-1 interns/transitional residents.
- Faculty includes all full-time, associate, and community as well as research faculty who regularly instruct classes, as listed on the residency program’s webpage.
Compare US ophthalmology residency programs here!
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US Ophthalmology Residency Programs
Take the quiz and compare ophthalmology residency programs in the US by traits such as size, total spots, number of faculty, and more, to find the best-fitting program for you!
Last updated: December 1, 2024.
Alumni publication percentile and alumni clinical trial percentile data are from Doximity where available; all other data are sourced from program websites and ACGME where available.
