Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMU) is proud to announce the renaming of its College of Optometry to the College of Optometric Medicine. This change reflects the institution’s unwavering commitment to advancing healthcare by emphasizing the medical and clinical foundations of the profession of optometry.
“With this transformation, RMU is setting the standard for optometric education, ensuring that our graduates are at the forefront of medical and clinical care,” said Dr. Adam Hickenbotham, founding dean of the College of Optometric Medicine. “We invite our peers in optometric education to join us in this movement toward a future where optometry is recognized for the essential role it plays in modern healthcare.”
The degree awarded remains the Doctor of Optometry (OD), maintaining the tradition and recognition of optometry as a distinct healthcare profession. The profession has steadily expanded into medical and clinical care, incorporating pharmacological treatments in the 1980s and adding surgical and laser procedures over the last two decades.
At RMU, the OD curriculum equips future optometrists with an in-depth foundation in medical sciences — such as anatomy, physiology, immunology, pharmacology, biochemistry, and microbiology — on par with or exceeding the training provided in medical schools.
Additionally, RMU optometry students receive education in primary care, internal medicine, dermatology, radiology, and surgery. They will learn medical training like how to diagnose/treat diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, do EKGs, which are all symptoms that could effect vision and should just be treated right then and there by an optometrist.
About RMU’s College of Optometric Medicine
Graduates of RMU’s Doctor of Optometry program will be fully trained to:
- Prescribe medications, low vision rehabilitation, vision therapy, spectacle lenses, and contact lenses
- Perform certain surgical procedures
- Counsel patients on surgical and non-surgical treatment options based on their visual needs
- Complete extensive training in medical and clinical sciences, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of patient care
- Diagnose, manage, and treat ocular and systemic diseases related to vision or co-manage with a medical specialist when appropriate.
Visit https://rm.edu/od/ to learn more.
