The ophthalmology program
at LSUHSC- Shreveport offers a diverse and unique opportunity to residents. The program is fully
accredited, financially stable and growing. Residents receive a great deal of both intensive
supervision as well as a substantial opportunity for relative autonomy ( relative autonomy in
any given area being granted to individual residents as they demonstrate expertise). Our diversity
and uniqueness is the result of our substantial patient population, many of which come from
a rural setting, with the net result being a very busy ophthalmology residency. For our residents,
this translates to a high volume of patients with a breadth of pathology, including many rare
diseases and conditions. This high patient volume also translates to an exceptional surgical
volume ( LSUHSC-Shreveport residents perform more surgical procedures than approximately 90%
of the other United States ophthalmology programs). The program is very heavily weighted towards
clinical training, although the opportunity for both clinical and basic research exists ( and
some is mandatory). We offer 3 residency positions yearly, and the residency length is 3 years.
We currently have 9 residents, and vacancies are quite rare.
Residents of LSUHSC- Shreveport ophthalmology program train at 3 locations, although 2 years
of their training is at LSUHSC-Shreveport. The residents spend an additional 8 months training
at the Overton - Brooks Veterans Administration Medical Center (also located in Shreveport),
and 4 months at the E.A. Conway Medical Center, which is located in Monroe, Louisiana ( about
one-hundred miles from Shreveport).
The program has 7 full-time faculty, as well
as a number of part-time faculty and volunteers from the community. All of the various subspecialties
are well represented by fellowship-trained faculty. A number of the faculty are involved in
clinical and /or basic science research, including photodynamic therapy. Residents who participate
in research and generate publications are sent to the appropriate scientific meetings.
The goal of the program is to create strong, competent, and compassionate physicians who are
a credit to our surgical subspecialty. Cooperation is strongly stressed to the residents and
competition for surgery is essentially nonexistent because of the high volume of surgery. Faculty
is 100% physically available to residents, and 100% of operating room cases are faculty staffed.
Residents attend morning lectures and/or grand rounds every weekday, with the occasional afternoon
session. Additionally, all second year residents are sent to the Cullen course in Houston, Texas
( a month-long ophthalmology basic science course given every February). The residents are also
given the opportunity to attend the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting each year.
Graduates of LSUHSC-Shreveport are highly successful with regard to obtaining (and maintaining)
excellent employment as well as securing competitive fellowships. Our program is well known
for producing capable, confident physicians who can step into a practice and function well from
the start (keeping in mind that our graduates often have the experience of fellowship-trained
graduates in many areas).
In Summary, our ophthalmology residency provides rich clinical and surgical opportunity, our
residents are happy with their training, and cooperation is the rule, not the exception. Northwestern
Louisiana has tremendous natural beauty with its lakes, bayous, rivers, dense forests, and highly
diverse flora and fauna. Shreveport does possess substantial charm, Southern hospitality is
real, and the people are among the most friendly and easy-going to be found.
If you are interested in
our excellent program:
Our Director:
Dr. Thomas Redens
Chairman:
Dr. Donald Texada
Our Address:
1501 Kings Highway
P.O. Box 33932
Shreveport, La. 71130
Our Phone:
(318) 675 - 5012
Our Fax:
(318) 675-6000