This year marks the 100th anniversary of the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. And while 2025 is the department’s centennial year, its origins can be traced back to 1871, when a lectureship in ophthalmology and otology was established within a year of the medical college’s inception. By 1893, ophthalmology was a division in what was then known as the eye, ear, nose, and throat service.
In 1925, the Department of Ophthalmology was established as its own independent academic department, with Cecil S. O’Brien, MD, serving as its first chair until 1949. O’Brien and the department chairs who followed — Alson Braley (31MD, 37R), Glenn Walker (34MD), Frederick Blodi, MD, Charles Phelps (63MD, 70R), Hansjoerg Kolder, MD (71R), Thomas Weingeist (72MD, 76R), and Keith Carter, MD (88F) — each guided the department through periods of remarkable growth and advancements in vision research, education, and patient care.
As the department enters its next century of service, it will welcome a new chair. Earlier this year, Carter announced that he would step down from the leadership role he has held since 2006.
