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There are many reasons a doctor of optometry can be a great choice for your students among them work-life balance, a four-year curriculum, earning a comfortable living, and working in a field whose scope is constantly expanding. We’re excited that you and your students are considering ICO and we’re eager to introduce you to our program. On this page, we hope to introduce to both optometry and our school.
Patient Care
Optometrists treat so much more than eye diseases. They protect patient's vision and as primary care providers they are often the first to detect diseases ranging from diabetes and hypertension to strokes or tumors.
KEY ASPECTS
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Primary eyecare providers – as primary eyecare providers, optometrists build strong relationships with their patients. They can build bonds as they progress through their practice and many optometrists treat patients over generations.
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Complex cases – few organs offer as much insight into our overall health as the eye, and many chronic diseases directly affect the eye. Optometrists treat all kinds of diseases from diabetic retinopathy to glaucoma.
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Patient Care at ICO – we have one of the strongest clinics in the nation. Located on the South Side of Chicago we treat a complex patient base. Students treat challenging ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ conditions with frequency.
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Our patients are the reason we show up for work every day. They are essential to everything we do. Get to know us through our wonderful patients.
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GOAL
$750K
Programs
Capital
$500K
$250K
Research & Education
Our program is immersive and hands on. At ICO, what you learn in the classroom reflects what you see in clinic. As students’ knowledge deepens, the cases they treat will become more complex. For every stage of a student’s optometric career, they will serve patients with all kinds of diseases and complications.
KEY ASPECTS
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Exclusively Optometry – We are one of only three schools in the nation that focuses exclusively on optometry. There’s no competition for resources at ICO. That means we are more agile, and all of our school’s resources are focused on providing students with the best training possible.
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Research funding for students and residents – with one of the strongest eye clinics in the nation, there are a lot of research opportunities for students interested in ICO research. There is also funding for national conferences and research opportunities during the summer.
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A state-of-the-art research facility – allowing us to make advances that will change how we think about dry eye, glaucoma, myopia, and much more.
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Tailored optometric curriculum – We have an updated curriculum listed online this is a great place to learn more about the optometric curriculum.
GOAL
$1.5MM
Research Center (capital)
Scholarships & Awards
Programs
$800K
$500K
$200K
Our Community
We want to commit not only to our students’ vision of the future, but also to that of our community. By that we mean both our student community and the community at large.
KEY ASPECTS
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Student wellbeing and growth – providing a space and resources to promote personal wellbeing and mental health at every stage in their optometric journey. Learn more about these student resources here.
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Increased representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color on campus – raising awareness of optometry through our newly launched White Coat Project as well as our long-established Focus on Your Future program.
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Continued support for Chicago Public School children – continuing to serve over 7000 CPS students every year and continuing to be the largest outreach program of any Chicago-area medical institution.
GOAL
$250K
Programs
Scholarships
$125K
$125K
Ready to learn more?
