Departments / Vision Science and Optometry (M. Optom)
About
Department Chair: Prof. Yaakov Azoulai
Program Chair: Dr. Ariela Gordon-Shaag
Introduction
Vision Science and Optometry deal with eye research and the ways in which the brain translates the surrounding world into vision. An interdisciplinary profession in nature, it includes the fields of biochemistry, biophysics, epidemiology, molecular biology, brain sciences and optometry.
The only master's degree program in vision sciences and optometry in Israel, Hadassah College provides its graduates with a professional advantage, broadening their horizons and intellectual challenges.
Recently, there has been a surge of development in vision research and clinical technology of vision, which has created a need for more information in the field - leading to the design of this program. Faculty were carefully chosen according to the most professional criteria and are supplemented with experts from Israel and abroad who teach courses in highly specialized subjects, not taught anywhere else in Israel.
Graduates of this unique master's degree program in vision and optometry sciences are paving the way for a higher level of academia and knowledge in the field.
Study Objectives
The inter-disciplinary approach to vision sciences and its clinical aspects include advanced courses in vision sciences, advanced clinical courses in specific areas of optometry and courses in scientific theory and methodology. Our graduates will be part of a foundation of leading optometrists to not only have a deeper and broader range of knowledge but also have the capability to instruct the next generation. The program trains optometrists interested in basic sciences who require additional training in order to plan and perform clinical research.
Professional Enhancement and Industry Collaboration
Advancement in optometry research is a priority at Hadassah College. The program consists of special courses in research methods and second year students conduct a research project.
Research methods in contact lenses, for example, include clinical work in laboratories and in development programs in collaboration with the contact lens industry in Israel. Participants in the course are exposed to the production and quality control of new contact lenses. Within this framework a few studies, collaborating with local industry are conducted and a new design for contact lenses for Keratoconus will be created. These students have special opportunities to use state-of-the-art equipment provided by the college in order to advance research in Israel.
Main Fields of Study
The program will include course in three main areas:
- Advanced courses in vision sciences (neurophysiology of the visual system, physiology and biochemistry of the eye, visual perception and binocular vision and genetics).
- Courses in scientific thought and methodology (biostatistics, epidemiology, and scientific writing).
- Clinical courses in specific areas of optometry (contact lenses, vision therapy).
Terms of Admission:
More details in Hebrew
Duration of Studies
Two years (four semesters) and upon completion of the program a degree M.Optom. will be awarded.
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