University of Kentucky Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences

The mission of the University of Kentucky Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences is to advance vision health through excellence in patient care, education, research, community engagement and high ethical standards. Through its clinical, academic, and global ophthalmology initiatives, the department seeks to reduce preventable blindness and improve equitable access to high-quality eye care for underserved populations locally and internationally.

The University of Kentucky Global Ophthalmology (UK GO) program has developed initiatives focused on global ophthalmology graduate education, implementation science, teleophthalmology, workforce development, and community-based care in resource-limited settings, including Haiti, Ecuador, Kenya, and rural and urban poor communities across Kentucky.

Our work includes the development of one of the largest telemedicine diabetic retinopathy screening networks in safety-net clinics in the United States, ophthalmology residency training partnerships in Haiti, and outreach programs serving vulnerable populations in rural and underserved communities in Guatemala, Kenya, Ecuador and Eswatini.