VETERINARY OPHTHALMOLOGISTS
Many people are amazed that they have been referred to a veterinary ophthalmologist, not realizing that there are veterinarians who have pursued specialty training beyond the required 4 years of veterinary school. To become a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist one must complete veterinary school, perform a one year internship in either small or large animal medicine and surgery then complete a 3 year approved residency in veterinary ophthalmology. Your credentials are then submitted to the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, ACVO, to be accepted to sit for the certification testing process, then pass all portions of that test. Becoming a Diplomate in a specialty college is the highest standard a veterinarian can accomplish and indicates dedication to their area of specialization. A veterinarian can not legally call him or herself a specialist in any field unless they are board certified in a specialty recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association, AVMA.
The process to become board certified in ophthalmology is selective as there are only 28 veterinary schools in the country and many of them do not have an ophthalmologist much less a residency training program. Quality control of the residency training programs is the responsibility of the ACVO. Each training program may only take a resident every 2-3 years depending on the number of residency positions available. At the writing of this web site there are approximately 300 board certified veterinary ophthalmologists in our country. To learn more about the ACVO, visit their web site at www.acvo.org. There is a similar specialty college in Europe, European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, ECVO, although their numbers are much fewer than the ACVO.
There are many other veterinary specialties in both small and large animal disciplines. At our hospital, the VREC, we have many, a critical care specialist, dentist, dermatologist, several internists, an oncologist and several surgeons. Referral to these specialists by your veterinarian is also possible.