Dept of Opthalmology

What Dept of Opthalmology does

The Department of Ophthalmology is an academic medical department within the University of Florida College of Medicine, operating as a unified clinical, educational, and research enterprise. Its clinical operations are anchored at UF Health Eye Center – The Oaks, a state-of-the-art facility in Gainesville, Florida that serves approximately 32,000 patients annually across all ophthalmic subspecialties (cornea, retina, glaucoma, pediatrics, comprehensive ophthalmology) and draws referrals from a broad regional and national base. Surgical and complex cases are additionally handled through UF Health Shands Hospital, an adjacent Veterans Hospital, and a new rotation at Jacksonville Naval Air Station supporting the Warfighter Refractive Eye Surgery Program.

The department runs a highly competitive ophthalmology residency program — ranked No. 1 in the United States for number of cataract surgeries per resident, with graduates performing nearly 2,000 procedures during training and maintaining a 100% board pass rate — alongside fellowship programs in cornea/external disease, surgical and medical retina, and an NEI T32-funded Research Training in Vision Science program. Its research arm is the Vision Research Center, which supports nine departments and six colleges, conducting NIH-funded basic and translational research in gene therapy (AAV vectors targeting Leber's Congenital Amaurosis, Usher syndrome, and age-related macular degeneration), retinal neuroprotection, photoreceptor function, and ocular inflammation, with granted patents on AAV-delivered CARD and M013 anti-inflammatory therapeutics and a recently completed clinical LCA gene therapy trial.

The department is a non-profit entity within a public state university system; it generates revenue through clinical billing via UF Health insurance contracts, NIH and other research grants, state appropriations, and privately endowed funds, but does not publicly disclose financial figures and has no commercial product line. Leadership is headed by Department Chair Dr. Sonal Tuli, with notable research faculty including William Hauswirth, PhD (Florida Inventors Hall of Fame inductee). The entity is not investable in the traditional venture sense, but its IP, clinical brand, and training pipeline are strategic assets.

Name

Dept of Opthalmology

Legal name

Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, University of Florida

Website

https://eye.ufl.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Florida College of Medicine is an academic medical department delivering comprehensive eye care to ~32,000 patients annually via UF Health The Oaks, training top-ranked ophthalmology residents, and conducting NIH-funded gene therapy and retinal degeneration research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ophthalmology Healthcare Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (6211), Offices of Physicians (62111)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAKAKAC

Ophthalmology Clinics (Medical & Surgical Eye Care)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Specialist Medical Practice/Ophthalmology & Optometry

SECONDARYHLAFAIAF

Ophthalmology Surgery Centers

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Surgical Centers & Perioperative Care (ASCs)

SECONDARYHLAKAKAE

Retina & Vitreous Specialists

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Specialist Medical Practice/Ophthalmology & Optometry

SECONDARYHLAKAKAF

Cornea, External Disease & Refractive Surgery (LASIK/PRK)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Specialist Medical Practice/Ophthalmology & Optometry

SECONDARYHLAKAKAN

Ocular Imaging & Diagnostic Testing Centers

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Specialist Medical Practice/Ophthalmology & Optometry

Keywords

• Ophthalmology clinical services
• Ophthalmology residency training
• Vision research programs
• Retinal gene therapy
• Eye care subspecialties

Headquarters

HQ city

Gainesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Florida College of Medicine delivers comprehensive ophthalmic clinical care across all subspecialties (cornea, retina, glaucoma, pediatrics, comprehensive ophthalmology) at UF Health Eye Center - The Oaks, treating approximately 32,000 patients annually. It also operates an ophthalmology residency training program, fellowship programs in cornea/external disease and retina specialty, and the Research Training in Vision Science (NEI T32) program, alongside NIH-funded basic and translational vision research including gene therapy development for retinal and macular degenerations.

Product overview

The Department of Ophthalmology is an academic medical department at the University of Florida College of Medicine. It operates as a unified clinical, educational, and research enterprise rather than a product company. Its offerings consist of: (1) UF Health Eye Center - The Oaks, the clinical facility providing patient eye care across all ophthalmic subspecialties; (2) residency and fellowship training programs in ophthalmology, retina specialty, cornea/external disease, and vision science research; and (3) a Vision Research Center conducting NIH-funded basic and translational research in gene therapy, retinal degeneration, and ocular diseases. The department does not offer commercial products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UF Health Eye Center - The Oaks Comprehensive ophthalmology clinical facility providing patient eye care across all ophthalmic subspecialties (cornea, retina, glaucoma, pediatrics, comprehensive ophthalmology), serving approximately 32,000 patients annually at the Department of Ophthalmology.
• Ophthalmology Residency Training Program Three-year ophthalmology residency training program offering residents one of the highest surgical numbers and volume of clinical pathology in the country, with rotations at UF Health clinical sites and the adjacent Veterans Hospital.
• Medical and Surgical Retina Specialty Training Fellowship training program covering both medical and surgical retina subspecialty training in ophthalmology.
• Cornea/External Disease Fellowship Fellowship training program specializing in cornea and external diseases of the eye for clinical ophthalmology fellows.
• Research Training in Vision Science (NEI T32) NIH-funded T32 training program supporting pre-doctoral and post-doctoral research trainees in vision science at the Vision Research Center.
• Vision Research Center NIH-funded research center conducting basic and translational vision research, including gene therapy for retinal and macular degenerations, retinal neuro-protection, photo-transduction, wound healing, and treatment of herpetic eye infections.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 32,000 patients served annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• UF Health ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2025Interdepartmental collaboration for complex surgical cases. Dr. Raygan and oculoplastics fellow Dr. Joubert collaborated with ENT's Dr. Johnson and team to perform complex eyelid and midface reconstruction on a young patient with congenital vascular lesion.
• National Eye Institute (NEI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEI T32 training grant supports Research Training in Vision Science program. Research funded by grants from NIH and other organizations as well as privately endowed funds.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Duke Eye Center: Duke Eye Center is a major academic ophthalmology program within Duke Health providing comprehensive subspecialty care, residency/fellowship training, and NIH-funded research — comparable to UF across clinical, educational, and research dimensions.
• Wilmer Eye Institute: Johns Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute is a leading academic ophthalmology department offering full-scope clinical care, residency training, and translational vision research — a direct peer to UF in scale, subspecialty coverage, and research breadth.
• Mayo Clinic Department of Ophthalmology: Mayo Clinic's Department of Ophthalmology is an academic subspecialty practice delivering full-scope clinical care, residency training, and translational research — comparable to UF as a multi-subspecialty academic ophthalmology center.
• Bascom Palmer Eye Institute: University of Miami's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is the consistently top-ranked US academic ophthalmology program, combining comprehensive subspecialty clinical care, residency/fellowship training, and NIH-funded vision research — directly comparable to UF in mission and operating model.
• Wills Eye Hospital: Thomas Jefferson-affiliated Wills Eye is a high-volume specialty ophthalmology hospital with top-ranked residency training and active clinical research — closely comparable to UF on the clinical-training-research triad.
• Moran Eye Center: University of Utah's Moran Eye Center is a high-volume academic ophthalmology program with residency/fellowship training and active NIH-funded research, including work in inherited retinal disease — closely comparable to UF's clinical-research mix.
• Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute: Cleveland Clinic's Cole Eye Institute is a large academic ophthalmology department offering comprehensive subspecialty care, training programs, and clinical/translational research — directly comparable in operating model to UF.
• Kellogg Eye Center: University of Michigan's Kellogg Eye Center is a major academic ophthalmology department with comprehensive clinical services, residency/fellowship training, and vision research — a direct peer to UF in scale and academic structure.
• Massachusetts Eye and Ear: Harvard-affiliated Mass Eye and Ear is a premier academic ophthalmology specialty hospital with comprehensive clinical services, residency/fellowship training, and bench-to-bedside vision research — directly comparable to UF in academic medical center operating model.
• UCLA Stein Eye Institute: UCLA's Stein Eye Institute is a leading academic ophthalmology department with broad subspecialty clinical coverage, top residency program, and significant vision research — directly comparable in operating scope and academic mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UFMedicine
• Facebookfacebook.com/ufdrgator
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dept-of-opthalmology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dept of Opthalmology