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We are practitioners of the healing arts defining the standard for excellence in optometric education and vision care.
Our D.O. medical school is nationally ranked and recognized for a reputation of excellence in rural medicine and family healthcare. UPIKE’s osteopathy program gives you a clear path to success in the medical field.
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Located in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, the Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) is the only college of optometry in Kentucky. Become part of a community of medical professionals providing vision care to those who need it most, and learn in an environment built with the future of optometry in mind. At KYCO, faculty, staff and administration embrace the expanded scope of optometric practice in Kentucky with unique clinical experiences and a challenging curriculum. KYCO students are afforded an abundance of rewarding clinical opportunities serving patients in need.
All equipment, textbooks and technology are provided at no additional cost to students.
Students serve patients from the blindest region in the U.S. in community clinics and hospitals.
Practice with new and advanced equipment and technology in KYCO’s innovative 103,000 square foot facility.
Dr. Josephine Owoeye, UPIKE-Kentucky College of Optometry, selected to participate in prestigious program The Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) program announced that Josephine Owoeye, O.D., assistant dean for student and professional development at the University of Pikeville – Kentucky College of Optometry, has been selected as one of the 60 Scholars chosen for the program’s sixth annual […]
Sha’Mia Stinson is part of the University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) Class of 2020. She’s pursuing a career in optometry to help people have a better quality of life. Stinson chose KYCO because she is very family-oriented, and KYCO is the closest optometry school to her family in South Carolina. She also loves […]
The University of Pikeville – Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) recently installed virtual reality biomicroscope (slit lamp) simulators in its virtual reality lab. KYCO is the first school in the country to have this state-of-the-art technology from VRmagic (Mannheim, Germany) which will allow students to train, examine and diagnose diseases on simulated-patient eyes. The biomicroscope […]
The University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) class of 2023 has set a record level among students in the college. A remarkable 71 percent of KYCO’s newest students chose to make a financial gift to the university. The yearly gift from students at KYCO has evolved into a tradition of giving that helps to […]
On Monday, September 9, the University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) and Ferrum College agreed to work in partnership to provide access to a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree for Ferrum College students. UPIKE President Burton J. Webb, Ph.D., and Provost Lori Werth, Ph.D., joined Ferrum College President David Johns, Ph.D., Provost Amié Sposato, […]
Vision Service Plan Global (VSP) awarded an incoming optometry student with a $5,000 Vision of Hope Scholarship to assist with her optometric education at the University of Pikeville – Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO). KYCO’s Faculty Scholarship and Awards Committee hand-selected Swathi Gutti, as she met the criteria to be eligible for the scholarship which […]
Whether they were providing eyeglasses in Mexico, helping with repairs for a church in Guatemala or volunteering with Remote Area Medical in Hazard, Ky., University of Pikeville students of all types spent their summer striving to serve. A team of nine students and two faculty members from the UPIKE-Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) traveled nearly […]
The Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) recently held a summer camp which gave pre-health and pre-optometry majors an introduction to the profession of optometry by providing an interactive on-campus experience. The camp also gave students a glimpse into KYCO’s faculty, facilities and technology. Over the course of three days students were able to learn how […]
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