University of Missouri-Columbia Program

Program Identity & Fit

The University of Missouri-Columbia ophthalmology residency is a university-based, four-year integrated program anchored at the Mason Eye Institute in conjunction with the Harry S. Truman VA Medical Center, combining academic depth with a strong surgical-volume identity. The program emphasizes early and extensive surgical exposure, with cataract training beginning in PGY-2 and residents graduating with more than 240 primary cataract cases, access to premium lenses, MIGS, angle surgery, and intraoperative OCT. Research is deeply embedded through active basic-science laboratories (retinal degeneration, corneal gene therapy, lens crystallin biology, dry eye disease) and clinical trial involvement (AREDS2, DCCT/EDIC), with residents regularly co-authoring peer-reviewed publications and presenting at national meetings (ARVO, AAO, AGS). The program values residents who thrive in a small, close-knit, teaching-focused culture with faculty present at every surgery, and it has a track record of strong fellowship placement alongside a notable pipeline of its own medical students and Midwest-trained applicants matching internally.