Clinic Experience

First Rate Clinical Training

Optometrists provide Primary Vision Care, including comprehensive eye examinations and the diagnosis, treatment, and management of most eye conditions and diseases. To prepare you as a professional capable of meeting this broad scope of responsibilities, the curriculum at Berkeley Optometry is designed to provide first-rate clinical training.

Clinical Rotations

All students participate in external clinical rotations. Our students see 2,500 patients by the time they graduate — among the highest in optometry.  To get you ready for your first patient, we provide over 400 hours of preclinical training during your first two years.

Berkeley Optometry operates its teaching clinics on a twelve-month basis. Our students have progressively more clinical training and responsibility as they advance through the four-year degree program. Third-year students spend about half their time in clinic, while fourth-year students spend virtually all their time in clinic.

Our Clinics

A key element in the Berkeley Optometry program is the provision of in-depth clinical experience in a variety of settings.  Our students are trained and see patients at two campus clinics, ten satellite clinics, seven VA clinics, and 24 external training clinics across the country.  These clinics, in total, have 220,000 patient visits per year.  To put that in perspective, we see 4,230 patients each week, or 604 per day.