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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.
Each year, VSP Global® selects a Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) student to receive its $5,000 Vision of Hope Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to an excelling first-year student who intends to practice in rural Appalachia. This year’s recipient, Alexus Cline, KYCO Class of 2025, is from Honaker, Va. Cline was selected by a scholarship […]
Last year, the University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) began a grant program to help remove financial barriers and increase diversity in the optometry profession. Since the program’s implementation in August 2020, KYCO has covered the cost of the Optometry Admissions Test (OAT) for 43 potential optometry students, many of whom are attending optometry […]
The Kentucky College of Optometry welcomed 64 incoming students to its Pikeville, Kentucky, campus with presentations and in-person events during a three-day orientation that began August 18. The incoming students hail from twenty-six different states across the country, including Kentucky (13), Tennessee (3), Georgia (3), Florida (5), North Carolina (9), Oklahoma (4) and Virginia (4). […]
Five students from the University of Pikeville–Kentucky College of Optometry Class of 2021 were selected to pursue a residency. The newest optometrists from KYCO learned the location of their residency placements back in April on a day called Match Day. KYCO Associate Professor Eilene Kinzer, O.D., M.Ed., VFL, FAAO, states residencies give students advanced clinical […]
The University of Pikeville (UPIKE) is delighted to announce that Michael Bacigalupi, O.D., M.S., FAAO, FNAP, dean of the Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO), has been elected to serve as secretary of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO). This officer’s position puts him on the Executive Committee for ASCO. Since the first […]
The University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) would like to congratulate professor James Rogala, O.D., FAAO, who was recently awarded a $20,000 research grant from the Appalachian College Association to study the choroidal blood supply in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The committee chose Rogala in a competitive selection process from a large […]
Gathering at the Appalachian Wireless Arena, graduates, faculty, families and friends celebrated the Commencement ceremonies of the University of Pikeville – Kentucky College of Optometry and Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine on Saturday, May 1. UPIKE honored the academic achievements of 51 Doctors of Optometry and 135 Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine during the ceremony. Masks […]
The University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) held its White Coat Ceremony for the class of 2023 on Saturday, April 10, 2021, via livestream. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event was closed to the public. The White Coat Ceremony is symbolic within the health professions, reflecting a commitment to patient care. After two years […]
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