The Southern College of Optometry is a

privately owned A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in the respective listed markets, but rather the company's stock is ...

educational institution located in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. It specializes in

optometry Optometry is a specialized health care profession that involves examining the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. Optometrists are health care professionals who typically provide comprehensive primary eye care. In the Uni ...

and offers a comprehensive program in this field.

History

The Southern College of Optometry (SCO) is a private, non-profit educational institution that was established in 1932 by J.J. Horton, an ophthalmologist. It has a long history of providing optometry education and has graduated numerous optometrists from various states and countries. In 1953, a new clinical facility was opened at its current location, which has since undergone expansions to accommodate administrative offices, classrooms, and a library. In 1970, SCO moved to its present structure, which includes multimedia classrooms, laboratories, faculty and administrative offices, a library, a student center, a computer learning resource center, and an outpatient clinic called the Eye Institute. The Eye Center at SCO, established in 2002, is a large, free-standing facility spanning 46,000 square feet (4,300 m2). It serves a significant number of patients annually and is recognized as one of the largest eye and vision centers in the United States. The center is equipped with advanced examination rooms, technology-based testing spaces, retinal laser and digital angiography centers, an optical shop, and on-site ophthalmology services. In 2013, the college completed a multimillion-dollar expansion program, which included the addition of state-of-the-art classrooms, study areas, and laboratories. In January 2016, Lewis N. Reich became the seventh president of SCO and was officially installed in May 2016.

Work

The Eye Center at the Southern College of Optometry provides comprehensive care for over 60,000 patients annually, catering to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of eye diseases as well as chronic eye health and visual disorders. It offers a wide range of services, including thorough eye examinations for patients of all ages. As one of the largest facilities of its kind in the United States, it houses 70 fully equipped examination rooms, 14 individual spaces for advanced technology-based testing, a retinal laser center, a digital angiography center, a full-service optical shop, and on-site ophthalmology services. Functioning similarly to a

teaching hospital A teaching hospital is a hospital or medical centre that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities and are often co-located ...

, The Eye Center serves as a

primary healthcare Primary health care, or PHC, refers to "essential health care" that is based on scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology. This makes universal health care accessible to all individuals and families in a community. PHC in ...

facility, attending to patients primarily from Memphis/ Shelby County, West

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, and

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. The center is led by Dr. James E. Venable, Vice President for Clinical Programs, and Dr. Christopher Lievens, Chief of Staff.

Health care services

The Eye Center, being a teaching facility, is organized into various service areas, which include: # Adult Primary Care Service # Pediatric Primary Care Service # Cornea and Contact Lens Service # Advanced Care Ocular Disease Service # Vision Therapy and Rehabilitation Service # The Technology Center # The Eye Center Optical These distinct service areas within the Eye Center cater to different aspects of eye care, providing specialized services to meet the diverse needs of patients.

The Hayes Center for Practice Excellence

In 2005, Jerry Hayes and his wife, Cris, provided the funding to establish the Hayes Center for Practice Excellence at SCO. The Hayes Center's objective is to serve as the leading source for practice management education within the optometric profession. To support this mission, an endowment was created with matching funds from SCO's Board of Trustees. The Hayes Center is dedicated to providing valuable resources and education to enhance the practice management skills of optometrists.http://hayescenter.sco.edu Hayes Center for Practice Excellence

Notable alumni

Gil Morgan Gilmer Bryan Morgan II, OD (born September 25, 1946) is an American professional golfer. Morgan was born in Wewoka, Oklahoma. He graduated from East Central State College in Ada, Oklahoma in 1968. In 1972, Morgan earned a Doctor of Optometry deg ...

is a professional golfer who has competed on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. *

Joshua McAdams Joshua McAdams (born March 26, 1980) is an American track and field athlete who competes in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Education McAdams attended Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School, where he was a four-time OHSAA state placer in tra ...

is an accomplished runner who represented his country in the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing. * James Morrison is a respected member of the Kansas House of Representatives. *

John Boozman John Nichols Boozman ( ; born December 10, 1950) is an American politician and former optometrist serving as the senior United States senator from Arkansas, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. repre ...

is a senior US senator representing the state of Arkansas. * James A. Boucher is a former US Representative who served

Albany County, Wyoming Albany County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 37,066. Its county seat is Laramie, the site of the University of Wyoming. Its south border lies on the northern Colorado state ...

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Universities and colleges in Memphis, Tennessee Optometry schools in the United States Private universities and colleges in Tennessee Educational institutions established in 1932 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools 1932 establishments in Tennessee