Program overview

The OHSU Casey Eye Institute Glaucoma Fellowship is a one-year, AUPO-certified clinical and surgical fellowship that trains future leaders in glaucoma care for children and adults.  

Founded in 1945, the Department of Ophthalmology was then part of the University of Oregon Medical School -- now OHSU. The Casey Eye Institute opened its doors in 1991, and expand to include the Elks Children's Eye Clinic building in 2020. Since its opening, Casey Eye Institute has become a strong national and international leader — in our pioneering research, our expert clinical care and innovations, and our teaching.

Beginning in 2027, the glaucoma fellowship is fully based at Casey Eye Institute, building on a long-standing partnership with Legacy Devers Eye Institute that began in 1999. This transition reflects the growth of Casey’s glaucoma service and our commitment to providing a focused, immersive training experience within our academic environment. 

Fellows train as active members of the care team—managing patients, performing surgery, teaching learners, and developing the skills needed for careers in academic medicine or private practice. 

Fellowship Goals

Our fellowship is designed to: 

• Train highly skilled glaucoma specialists prepared for careers in academic medicine and comprehensive private practice
• Provide progressive independence in clinic, surgery, and teaching
• Develop strong competency in MIGS, trabeculectomy, tube shunt surgery, and pediatric glaucoma care
• Support wellness and long-term career development that promotes work-life balance

Program highlights

Casey Eye Institute offers a glaucoma fellowship grounded in strong clinical training, thoughtful teaching, and a collaborative culture. Fellows are treated as junior colleagues and supported as they grow into confident, independent glaucoma specialists.

• Full immersion model: Fellows work closely with all glaucoma faculty across clinic and surgery
• Wide surgical exposure: Experience the full spectrum from MIGS to complex trabeculectomy and bleb revisions
• World-renowned research environment: Nationally recognized work in OCT/OCTA, AI, big data, and basic science  
• Structured education: Rigorous didactics, wet lab training, and case-based learning
• Meaningful outreach opportunities: Opportunities to serve global and local underserved communities
• Exceptional support staff: Skilled technicians and coordinators maximizes educational focus
• Excellent work-life balance: Portland, Oregon is a vibrant city boasting an unmatched food scene with easy access to mountains, coast, and rivers 

Clinical training

Fellows function as independent comprehensive ophthalmologists with advanced glaucoma training. They spend approximately 3 days per week in clinic, with a mix of adult and pediatric glaucoma. 

As a tertiary referral center for adult and pediatric glaucoma, we have a catchment area that includes six states (OR, WA, ID, MO, WY, AK), allowing one to participate in care of rare diseases on a regular basis. 

Our outstanding technicians and office staff are highly trained and help us with everything from prior authorizations to triaging calls and messages. We could not do this job without them and past fellows have mentioned that they had much less “scut work” as a result of our strong technician and administrative team.  

Clinical experience

• Dedicated continuity clinic one half day per week 
• One-on-one attending supervision
• Exposure to broad pathology from a five-state referral base 
• Weekly pediatric glaucoma clinic with Drs. Edmunds and Gale

Our clinics typically see 30–40 patients per day, allowing for a breadth of types of glaucoma seen, yet also time to slow down to have a long discussion with a patient and/or faculty about a complex case. 

Clinics are designed to operate independently, allowing fellows flexibility to participate in additional clinics or in interesting cases in the operating room for high-yield learning opportunities. 

Conditions treated

• Primary open-angle glaucoma (including normal tension glaucoma)
• Angle-closure glaucoma  
• Pseudoexfoliation and pigmentary glaucoma  
• All other secondary glaucomas, including uveitic, steroid-induced, and traumatic glaucoma  
• Pediatric glaucoma (weekly dedicated clinic)

Surgical experience

Surgical training is a cornerstone of the Casey glaucoma fellowship, with extensive hands-on experience and direct faculty mentorship. 

Operating room experience

• Two scheduled OR days per week, plus frequent add-on and urgent cases
• One-on-one attending supervision, separate from resident cases
• Dedicated continuity clinic OR time
• Video recording for review and feedback 

Surgery is typically performed one-on-one with attending faculty, with progressive autonomy and opportunities to staff residents as skills advance. 

Core procedures

• Trabeculectomy: Fornix-based, limbus-based, Moorfields safer surgery techniques; primary and revision cases
• Glaucoma drainage devices: Baerveldt, Ahmed, ClearPath, pediatric valves
• MIGS procedures: KDB, OMNI, VIA360, iTrack, Hydrus, iStent, Xen; trabecular bypass stents are frequent among mild glaucoma and many will be performed in your own continuity clinic operating day.
• Cataract surgery: standalone and combined; routine and complex cases, with and without MIGS, is often half of the surgery day.
• Pediatric glaucoma surgery: Cases are done weekly, including goniotomy, trabeculotomy, pediatric tube shunts, CPC
• Laser procedures: SLT, LPI, YAG capsulotomy, CPC, micropulse, ECP; procedures done in the clinic or OR

Due to the high prevalence of normal tension glaucoma in the region, fellows gain significant experience in primary and complex trabeculectomy, bleb revisions and needling. 

Call schedule

We have a full-time hospital service that takes care of daytime consults and surgery. Fellows participate in a limited call schedule, including:

• Two weeks of trauma call per year, consistent with Casey faculty
• In the evenings and after hours during the two weeks of call, fellows staff residents on open globes and see hospital consults on the weekends

Casey’s residency program is consistently ranked among the top programs nationally, and having an active teaching role is really fun for both faculty and fellows.

Research

Research is an integral component of the glaucoma fellowship, supported by strong institutional infrastructure. Learn more about how Casey Eye Institute is advancing vision research.

Areas of focus

• OCT and OCTA imaging (COOL Lab with David Huang, M.D., Ph.D.)
• Artificial intelligence and big data (EHR, SOURCE, COSMOS)
• Basic science research in optic nerve and trabecular meshwork biology
• Outreach and population health research 

Expectations and support

Fellows are involved in clinical trials and basic research, and are encouraged to design their own project.   

• Submission of at least one abstract to a national meeting, per AUPO guidelines
• Presentation at Casey Eye Institute Research Day in the spring
• Access to statisticians and informatics specialists 

Education and didactics

Fellows are both learners and teachers throughout their training. Fellows regularly teach residents and medical students in clinic and conference settings. 

Core activities 

• Attend weekly Grand Rounds as appropriate  
• Attend glaucoma and interdisciplinary journal clubs  
• Present 15 minute case presentations at grand rounds a few times per year
• Participate in wet lab and surgical simulation training, which includes access to a local eye bank  
• Attend monthly small-group discussions with senior faculty covering topics such as the history of surgical techniques, present day controversies in glaucoma, and more. 

Additional opportunities include attending national meetings such as AAO, AGS, and ARVO, as well as regional conferences such as the Annual Casey Eye Symposium, Research Day, and the Oregon Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting. During Glaucoma Day, we bring all device companies together to do wetlabs for glaucoma surgeries. 

Outreach opportunities

Fellows are encouraged to participate in outreach activities that broaden understanding of rural, underserved, and global glaucoma care. Participation is optional and tailored to fellow interests.

Fellows may participate in:

• The Casey Community Outreach Program, a mobile clinic providing free eye care in Portland and across rural Oregon  
• Global health initiatives, including partnerships in American Samoa

Application process

The Glaucoma Fellowship participates in the AUPO San Francisco Match Program. 

• Applications submitted through SF Match at www.sfmatch.org
• Applicants must have completed an ACGME-accredited ophthalmology residency
• Applicants must be eligible for Oregon medical licensure
• Interviews typically held in September or October 

Life in Portland

Portland offers easy access to mountains, coast, and outdoor recreation—all within about an hour of the city. Fellows enjoy a strong sense of community, a vibrant food scene, and a balance between training and life outside of work.