Ophthalmic Personnel
Join Our Team
Our Ophthalmic Medical Personnel (OMP) are an important part of the success of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Virginia (UVA). We employ OMP of all levels including Ophthalmic Assistants, Certified Ophthalmic Assistants, Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologists, Ophthalmic Photographers, and Registered Nurses. OMP are encouraged to apply to join our team at UVA Ophthalmology.
Each member of our clinical staff plays a vital role in the daily operations of our clinic. Junior staff are trained on the job by senior staff to maintain a highly skilled, experienced group of clinical personnel to provide quality patient care. Weekly continuing education lectures are presented to the staff to keep them current on the newest technologies and procedures as well as to provide continuing education credits to maintain certification levels.
Current Openings
Please visit the University of Virginia Health System’s Human Resources website to apply for jobs in the Ophthalmology Department.
For questions about our open positions or about employment in our department, contact us.
Benefits
Learn more about UVA Medical Center Benefits.
Weekly Lecture Series
Faculty, residents, and fellows present relevant topics from 7:30 – 8:30AM each Wednesday. Approximately one lecture per month is accredited by JCAHPO for continuing education credit.
Humphries Symposium
The Humphries Symposium is an annual conference presented by the department each September. The department offers a separate program for ophthalmic medical personnel with lectures totaling six to seven continuing education credits through JCAHPO.
Staff are allotted funding from the department to attend approved conferences or training programs. Funds cover travel expenses, lodging, meals and conference registration. Funds are distributed based on years of service and employment status.
A staff member’s certification and exam fees and travel expenses will be covered by the department.
Training and support from senior technicians is provided to all staff members during the process of certification.
Information on career levels and opportunities at the following websites:
Ophthalmic Photographers
Ophthalmic photographers are trained ophthalmic medical personnel in ophthalmic medical technology and have also received additional formal and informal specialized training to perform a variety of ophthalmic photography imaging and other diagnostic tests. Ophthalmic photographers assist ophthalmology department physicians, and other medical personnel to evaluate eye clinic patients. In addition to their routine and primary duties, they participate in various ophthalmology researches and studies; e.g., Diabetes related retinal diseases.
The primary functions of Ophthalmic Photographers are to:
- Perform digital and film color fundus photography
- Perform external photography (still and video)
- Perform angiograms – intravenous fluorescein angiography (IVFA) and indocyanine green (ICG)
- Perform optical coherence tomography (OCT)
- Photo and image database management
- Processing transfer modalities and interfaces, and archival.
The secondary functions of Ophthalmic Photographers are to:
- Provide training and orientations to faculty, fellows, residents, and ophthalmic technicians;
- Perform various study protocol digital and film photography and imaging.
Trained Ophthalmic Photographers use several ophthalmic photography and imaging equipment to perform the above patient diagnostic and care functions. Photography equipment inventory at UVA includes but is not limited to the latest top of the line fundus cameras, OCTs, biomicroscope slit lamp cameras, digital SLR external cameras, video cameras, and SL-OCT.
All UVA patient capture stations use state-of-the-art digitally networked equipment with remote access and processing of patient photo data on all viewing stations and exam rooms.
Vocabulary:
A Fundus or Retinal Camera
This a specialized low power microscope with an attached 35mm camera or digital camera designed to capture photographs of the inner lining of the eye. This consists of the retina, optic disc, macula, and the posterior pole of the eye. A fundus camera allows photographers to illustrate different anatomical features of any given study such as macular degeneration and optic dystrophies.
Color Fundus Photography
In these photographs, the retina (inner lining of the back of the eye) is illuminated by white light and examined in full color (real time/life).
Black and White-Red-Free Photography
In Black and White-Red-Free photography, the illuminating light from the camera is filtered in the light delivery system to remove red colors. This improves the contrast of vessels and other anatomical structures and features.
Angiography
Angiography brings the retinal and choroidal blood vessels together in high contrast by intravenous injection of a contrast dye called sodium fluorescein. The retina is illuminated with an excitation color which fluoresces light of another color where the dye is present. By filtering to exclude the excitation color and pass the fluorescent color, a very high-contrast image of the vessels is produced.
Fluorescein Phases
A carefully orchestrated process of recording a timed sequence of photographs shows the progression of the dye into the vessels to reveal the flow dynamics and related pathologies. This is done through two (2) main angiogram types: Fluorescein Angiography (FA) and Indocyanine Green (ICG).
For Questions
For questions about our open positions or about employment in our department, please contact us below.
Contact Us
Form to contact the Ophthalmology Department.