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Basic Companion Animal Ophthalmology
Module 5 - Enhance your skills in veterinary ophthalmology by mastering advanced diagnostic techniques, treatment strategies, and collaborative patient management in complex ocular diseases of dogs and cats.
This course is a part of
Companion Animal OPHTHALMOLOGY - Advanced course - Module 5
The purpose of this course is:
- To provide the student with theoretical and practical skills to understand the underlying causes for ocular diseases, and to perform diagnostic work-up, establish prognosis and develop therapeutic strategies for the management of:
- dogs and cats with congenital ocular diseases.
- dogs and cats with hereditary ocular diseases.
- dogs and cats with ocular manifestation of systemic diseases.
- dogs and cats with neoplastic ocular diseases.
- To provide the student with hands on knowledge in how to use a handheld slit-lamp for biomicroscopy examination.
- To provide the student with hands on knowledge in the field of direct and indirect ophthalmoscopy.
- To provide the student with hands on knowledge in the field of advanced diagnostic testing for ophthalmic diseases; including cytology, pathology, and electroretinography. To demonstrate the use of advanced CT and MRI in veterinary ophthalmology.
- By theory and practical exercises to extend the student’s knowledge, practical skills and competences within the clinical decision making and diagnostic procedures with regards to companion animal ophthalmic diseases.
For more details about the course, please refer to the course curriculum.
Read more about the specialisation tracks and the Master's programme on the main page:
Course Directors on Basic Companion Animal Ophthalmology
Annemarie Thuri KristensenProfessor |
Michala de Linde HenriksenDVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVO |
Course details on Basic Companion Animal Ophthalmology
Dates and examination
Course dates 2025
10 - 14 November 2025
Course dates 2027
15 - 19 November 2027
The course is available every second year.
Examination
Please find dates and details about the exam in the exam schedule.
Learning outcomes
Having completed the course, the student must be able to:
Knowledge
- Explain, reflect about and demonstrate overview of the systematic approach to the patient with congenital ocular diseases.
- Explain, reflect about and demonstrate overview of the systematic approach to the patient with symptoms of hereditary ocular diseases.
- Explain, reflect about and demonstrate overview of the systematic approach to the patient with symptoms of ocular manifestation of systemic diseases.
- Explain, reflect about and demonstrate overview of the systematic approach to the patient with symptoms of neoplastic ocular diseases.
- Know ocular pharmacological drugs that can be used in veterinary ophthalmology.
- Know aetiology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis for ocular diseases in dogs and cats at an advanced level
- To define, identify and evaluate veterinary methodology and the use of general and advanced veterinary diagnostic methods for veterinary ophthalmology patients.
Skills
- Apply evidence based approaches to dogs and cats with complex ophthalmic symptoms.
- Perform oral presentation of patient history, symptoms and diagnostic plan for both specialist and non-specialist colleagues and clients.
- Discuss relevant problems and questions within the systematic approach to patients with complex ophthalmic symptoms.
- Use and adjust slit lamp biomicroscopy.
- Use and adjust headset for indicted ophthalmoscopy.
- Perform gonioscopy examination at a basic level.
- Perform an electroretinogram (ERG) at a basic level.
- Perform ocular ultrasonographic examination at a basic level.
- Interpret, assess, and reflect on collected patient data in order to identify/localize the cause of ocular disease occurrence, make clinical decisions, arrive at a diagnosis and apply and integrate evidence based scientific approaches to plan and administer further diagnostics, patient therapy and management.
Competences
- Collaborate and communicate within and between specialist and non-specialist peers and lay persons involved in companion animal patient management.
- Plan, evaluate and manage a diagnostic work-up and treatment of patients with complex ocular diseases.
- Independently obtain, evaluate and elaborate on evidence based new knowledge at a specialty level within complex ocular diseases.
Admission criteria
You must meet the following criteria to be admitted to this course:
- Hold a degree in Veterinary Medicine.
- Hold one of the following certifications:
- DVA Certificate in Small Animal Diseases (equivalent to the 4 compulsory courses of the Master of Companion Animal Clinical Science).
- Swedish / Norwegian / Finnish specialist in diseases of dogs and cats.
- Equivalent competences.
- Have a minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience from companion animal practice.
- Be proficient in English.
Find detailed information about the formal requirements for this course.
Read more about admission on the main page of Master of Companion Animal Clinical Science.
Tuition fees
EU/EEA citizens*
Single course student: 36,500 DKK
Master student: 33,000 DKK
Non-EU/EEA citizens
Single course student: 40,740 DKK
Master student: 37,240 DKK
Tuition fees include course materials and lunch/coffee. Books are not included in the tuition fees and must be purchased by the participants.
*Citizens of the EU, EEA or Switzerland is entitled to a subsidised tuition fee, due to EU legislation, hence the difference in price.
Location
University of Copenhagen
University Hospital for Companion Animals
Dyrlægevej 16
1958 Frederiksberg
Denmark
Contact
Christine Gulstad
Study Administration Officer
Tel.: +45 35 32 12 73
Annemarie Thuri Kristensen
Professor
DVM, PhD, DACVIM-SA, ECVIM-CA and Oncology
Professor Annemarie T. Kristensen is the Study director at Master Companion Animal Clinical Sciences as well as lecturer at the compulsory part of the Masters programme and at the Internal Medicine, Surgery and Oncology specialisation tracks.
Clinical and research interests: Clinical and comparative veterinary research, especially diagnostic, pathogenetic, and therapeutic aspects of hemostasis, thrombosis, inflammation and cancer.
Post doctoral research associate at The Platelet Research Laboratory, School of Medicine, University of Minnesota.
Worked for six years with research within hemostasis, thrombosis, angiogenesis and atherosclerosis at Novo Nordisk A/S. In 2000 recruited as Associate Professor in Small Animal Internal Medicine, Dept. of Clinical Studies, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen. Since 2007 full professor Companion Animal Clinical Oncology. Since 2004, Section Head, Medicine, Oncology and Veterinary Clinical Pathology, Dept. of Veterinary Clinical and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. Director ECVIM- internal medicine and oncology residency programmes. Study director, Master Companion Animal Clinical Sciences and Vice chair Danish Research Council for Technology and Production.
Michala de Linde Henriksen
DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVO
Dr. de Linde Henriksen is a veterinary ophthalmologist from Colorado State University (CSU). She has an extensive publication list (see below) and is a highly experienced speaker with in the area of veterinary ophthalmology.
Background
Dr. de Linde Henriksen is originally from Denmark where she received her DVM degree in 2005 from University of Copenhagen. Her comparative ophthalmology residency was performed at University of Florida and her PhD in equine ophthalmology is from University of Copenhagen/University of Florida. Dr. Henriksen has worked as an assistant professor in comparative ophthalmology at CSU since July 2017. She came to CSU from University of Minnesota where she worked as a clinical assistant professor in comparative ophthalmology for four years (2013-2017).
Dr. Henriksen loves mountain hiking with her French bulldog ‘Frieda’ and her chocolate Labrador ‘Alma’ in her spare time.