View source for Southern College of Optometry

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{{Infobox university
|name = Southern College of Optometry
|image = Southern College Optometry.jpg
|motto = "Lux et Veritas (Light and Truth)"
|established = 1932
|endowment = $35.7 million
| students =538 (Spring 2022)<ref name="nces">{{Cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Southern+College+of+Optometry&s=all&id=221670|title = College Navigator - Southern College of Optometry}}</ref>
| faculty = 53 Full-time (Spring 2022)<ref name="nces" />
|type = [[Private university|Private]] college of [[optometry]]
|president = Lewis N. Reich
|city = [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]]
|state = [[Tennessee]]
|country = United States
| coordinates = {{coord|35.1376|-90.0205|display=inline,title}}
|website = {{URL|www.sco.edu}}
}}

The '''Southern College of Optometry''' is a [[Private university|privately owned]] educational institution located in [[Memphis, Tennessee]]. It specializes in [[optometry]] 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{{cn|date=April 2025}} 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 2005, the Hayes Center for Practice Excellence was established.<ref>http://hayescenter.sco.edu Hayes Center for Practice Excellence</ref>

In 2013, the college finished a multimillion-dollar building new classrooms, study areas, and labs., which included the addition of  classrooms, study areas, and laboratories. In January 2016, Lewis N. Reich became the new president of the college.

==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]], The Eye Center serves as a [[Primary health care|primary healthcare]] facility, attending to patients primarily from Memphis/[[Shelby County, Tennessee|Shelby County]], West [[Tennessee]], [[Arkansas]], and [[Mississippi]]. The center is led by James E. Venable, Vice President for Clinical Programs, and Christopher Lievens, Chief of Staff.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

===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.

==Notable alumni==

* [[Gil Morgan]], golfer
* [[Joshua McAdams]], runner who ran for the U.S. in the [[2008 Summer Olympics]]
* [[James Morrison (Kansas politician)|James Morrison]], member of the Kansas House of Representatives.
* [[John Boozman]], a senior US senator representing the state of Arkansas.
* [[James A. Boucher]], a former US Representative who served [[Albany County, Wyoming]].
* [[Mark Shirey]], member of the Alabama House of Representatives

==See also==
*[[Optometry#Schools of optometry|List of Optometry schools in the world]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.sco.edu Official website]

{{Tennessee private colleges and universities}}
{{Colleges and universities in the Memphis Metro Area}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Universities and colleges in Memphis, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Optometry schools in the United States]]
[[Category:Private universities and colleges in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges established in 1932]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]]
[[Category:1932 establishments in Tennessee]]