Chancellor’s Statement for the Kentucky College of Optometry

I welcome your consideration of the Kentucky College of Optometry at the University of Pikeville as the single, best institution to provide you an outstanding Optometric education and a unique opportunity for personal development. When you join the academic community of the leading university in Central Appalachia you become the fulfillment of the higher education and health care needs of the region our founders envisioned 132 years ago.

You will carry on our long and proud tradition of service to the people of Central Appalachia and be a champion of excellence in vision care to the Southeastern region and all of the United States. Optometry at the University of Pikeville is the profession which offers you the challenge to serve the healthcare needs of rural Appalachia while providing you a quality of life second to none.

Optometry is a growing, vibrant profession. Our great nation is advancing in age and technological expansion. These facts place a significant demand on our sense of vision. The expansion of affordable healthcare demands greater accessibility to health care. The expansive scope of practice of Optometry, including primary care surgical procedures authorized in Kentucky, provides the profession the opportunity to grow in the Commonwealth and become the leader for eye care across the nation. The high proportion of citizens needing ocular healthcare services in Central Appalachia provides the opportunity for cutting edge research by the faculty and staff and students of Kentucky College of Optometry.

When you think about your education as an Optometrist go beyond the basics. Join the community that is known nationwide as The Vision of Hope!

Paul E. Patton

Chancellor