Western University of Health Sciences College of Optometry
Western University of Health Sciences College of Optometry

Western University of Health Sciences College of Optometry, located in Pomona, California, offers healthcare professionals an innovative graduate Doctor of Optometry (OD) program with a focus on optometric rehabilitation, including neuro-optometry. Students are equipped with the staff, education, clinical training, and tools to have a rewarding and successful career in the field of optometry, whether they wish to work in a private or group practice, a hospital setting, a community clinic, or another setting.

Exceptional Faculty Leadership

Students find success at WesternU due to the college's ability to attract and support a highly respected faculty committed to advancing optometric education and patient care. Faculty members are encouraged to pursue innovative teaching strategies and engage in interdisciplinary research, fostering academic excellence and collaboration. The university also cultivates a scholarly environment that values curiosity, critical thinking, and knowledge sharing.

Interprofessional Education

In their first semester, students are provided with Interprofessional Education (IPE) at the Western University of Health Sciences College of Optometry, designed to prepare students for team-based healthcare delivery. In small, diverse interprofessional groups, optometry students explore patient-centered case studies that span a lifespan and address shared professional concerns such as ethics, behavioral health, and psychosocial issues. A second IPE course, offered in the second semester of the first year, builds on this foundation by introducing more complex clinical cases that challenge students to apply interprofessional competencies in collaborative care settings.

As students progress, they engage in additional IPE coursework during their second year, which emphasizes real-world applications and team-based training. Working closely with peers from other health disciplines and faculty facilitators, optometry students address multifaceted patient care challenges through collaborative decision-making and the implementation of integrated care strategies. These courses are structured not only to enhance clinical acumen but also to foster a deep understanding of the dynamics and value of interdisciplinary teamwork.

Key topics embedded throughout the IPE curriculum include Health Systems Science (HSS), which focuses on how care is delivered, how teams function within health systems, and how improvements can be made—as well as Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism, and Anti-Bias. To support this, the College of Optometry collaborates with student and cultural organizations. This engagement ensures students gain meaningful exposure to diverse perspectives and societal influences on healthcare. Student feedback, along with insights from IPE design and implementation teams, is continuously used to refine and strengthen the curriculum, ensuring graduates are prepared for today's collaborative, patient-centered healthcare environments.

Clinical Training at the WesternU Eye Care Institute

Students are provided with hands-on clinical training at the WesternU Eye Care Institute, which is the cornerstone of the Western University of Health Sciences College of Optometry's program. Students work as interns with experienced, compassionate WesternU faculty doctors and mentors in treating a wide range of vision and eye conditions, from offering patients routine eye exams to treating more complex or unusual conditions, such as low vision rehabilitation, vision therapy, neuro-optometric rehabilitation, and diabetic eye disease.

Fourth-Year Externship Program

As part of the training process, every student undergoes and completes a fourth-year externship program that includes comprehensive clinical training in various real-world settings. During this year, students participate in full-time clinical rotation externships, gaining practical experience in a broad range of optometric and ophthalmologic care environments.

Externship placements span private optometry offices, ophthalmology practices, Veterans Administration clinics, Indian Health Service facilities, Armed Forces Medical centers, and WesternU's specialty clinics. This immersive structure engages students in the care of over 1,700 patients, exposing them to a wide range of ocular conditions and diverse patient populations.

In addition to hands-on clinical training, students also complete a distance-based Practice Management course, gaining essential knowledge in the business and administrative aspects of running an optometric practice.

The College of Optometry was established in 2008. Its core values include an emphasis on "a rich humanistic tradition and a commitment to professional collaboration, community involvement, accountability, integrity, and respect.