Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science

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Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science

OD and PhD programs at the University of California, Berkeley

04/25/2026

Join us on Sunday, June 14, 2026 for Resident Forum: a live Zoom webinar, bringing together optometry residents from the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science and participating institutions including SFVA, Palo Alto VA, Fresno VA, UCSF, and Reno VA.

Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with speakers and participate in real-time Q&A throughout the program. This program is eligible for 7 California Continuing Education credits.

Register today at: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/continuing-education/resident-forum/

04/24/2026

Congratulations to Thomas Chan and Savannah Jones, recipients of the Viatris Scholarship Award and the Dr. J.C. Louie Scholarship Fund!

Thomas, a third-year optometry student, received the Viatris Scholarship Award – a one-time $3,000 award presented to a third-year student with a strong interest in ocular surface disease.

Savannah, a first-year optometry student, received the Dr. J.C. Louie Scholarship Fund – a $5,000 award recognizing a student who demonstrates a passion for patient care and community service.

Learn More: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/viatris-and-j-c-louie-scholarships/

04/22/2026

Earlier this month, the Vision Science Social Committee and Vision Science Student Government organized a painting social for our community.

At the end of the event, participants displayed their artwork and voted for their favorites, with the top three receiving Jellycat plush prizes!

Thank you to the student organizers for putting together a fun and well-attended event!

Read More: https://vision.berkeley.edu/posts/painting-social

04/21/2026

A new paper in the Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight for the NEI funded collaborative Glaucoma project of the Gronert and Flanagan Labs at Berkeley and Sivak Lab at the University of Toronto.

Prostaglandin analogues, such as latanoprost, are the first-line treatment to reduce ocular hypertension in the management of glaucoma. The mechanism of actions for latanoprost are not well defined.

The team discovered that in glaucoma patients a protective and anti-inflammatory lipid signal, lipoxin A4, was unexpectedly elevated in the aqueous humor.

Read More:
https://vision.berkeley.edu/posts/paper-from-gronert-flanagan-labs/

04/16/2026

Please join us in congratulating optometry alumna Sherry Day, OD, FAAO, on being selected as a 2026–27 Fulbright Scholar!

Dr. Day’s project will focus on expanding low vision rehabilitation in Taiwan through the development of training programs and a comprehensive care model at National Taiwan University Hospital.

By adapting U.S. best practices, the initiative aims to strengthen clinical capacity and improve quality of life for individuals with vision loss.

Read More: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/dr-day-selected-as-fulbright-scholar/

04/15/2026

A new study published in Science Advances by Drs. Benjamin Chin, Martin Banks, Derek Nankivil, Austin Roorda, and Emily Cooper investigates an open question: what wavelength is brought into best focus by the human eye?

The findings suggest the eye relies on color-based mechanisms – not just sharpness – to guide focus, offering new insight into vision and potential approaches for slowing myopia.

Read More: https://vision.berkeley.edu/posts/focusing-on-color

04/14/2026

An enthusiastic group of Berkeley faculty and alumni once again supported the annual San Francisco LightHouse Little Learners Beeper Egg Hunt, recently hosted at the California School for the Blind in Fremont, CA.

Over 30 families attended this well loved event, with the highlight being the beeper egg hunt for blind and visually impaired children. The children and their families (and Berkeley alums!) also enjoyed arts and crafts, face painting, music, and community!

Learn More: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/beeper-egg-hunt/

04/11/2026

Instagram Story Takeovers have become a regular feature on our school’s social media, offering glimpses into daily life at the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science.

These takeovers are now easier to revisit, as we created a new webpage to organize them in one place!

The page includes links to takeovers from the past year, grouped by category, including first-year through fourth-year OD students, Vision Science PhD students, and some participating residents, faculty and staff.

See the archive at: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/about-us/our-students/instagram-story-takeovers/

04/06/2026

Last chance to register for the Morgan-Sarver Symposium: registration closes on April 7th at 11:59 PM PDT!

Join us for the 41st Annual Morgan-Sarver Symposium — a three-day, live online continuing education event taking place April 10–12, 2026. This COPE-accredited program (ID: #132550) offers up to 10 hours of CE and includes Glaucoma Roundtable Discussion Panel — now two hours by popular demand — with the opportunity to earn up to 4 Glaucoma CE hours.

Learn more about the speakers, topics, and register today at:
https://optometry.berkeley.edu/continuing-education/morgan-symposium/

04/03/2026

Save the date: Bay Area Vision Research Day (BAVRD) is on Friday, September 4, 2026, from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM!

BAVRD is a FREE, student-led research conference devoted to bringing the vision research community of the Bay Area together to present and to discuss new and exciting findings in the fields of ophthalmology, optometry, biology, neuroscience, visual psychophysics, and computer vision.

This year’s BAVRD will take place at the West Pauley Ballroom within the UC Berkeley Student Union: Martin Luther King Jr. Building.

Registration will open soon – stay tuned for updates!

Learn More: https://vision.berkeley.edu/posts/bay-area-vision-research-day-2/

04/01/2026

A new paper from the Chung lab, “Altered retinal vasculature in amblyopia,” by Drs. Rijul Soans and Susana Chung, has been published in the special issue on Advances in Amblyopia Research in Vision Research.

The authors examined whether retinal blood vessel structure differs in adults with amblyopia compared to individuals with normal vision.

About the photo: Key features of retinal vasculature that were analyzed: vascular area, fractal dimension, vascular skeleton length, and vascular bifurcation points.

Learn More: https://vision.berkeley.edu/posts/chung-lab-amblyopia-study

03/27/2026

This year, all 28 fourth-year optometry students who applied for residencies successfully matched, resulting in a 100% match rate. Congratulations to our students on this outstanding achievement!

This outcome speaks to the strength of our students’ efforts and the invaluable role of our faculty and clinical instructors in preparing them for the next stage of their careers.

Visit the link below to see the list of matched students/programs and more photos: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/a-milestone-year-for-residency-matches/

Address

300 Minor Hall
Berkeley, CA
94720

Telephone

+15106422020

Website

http://optometry.berkeley.edu/

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