The current chair is Dr. Bouchard and he is very energetic. 4 residents per year. The residents spend the most time at the Hines VA and Loyola University Hospital (on the same campus in Maywood), but also some time at attending satellite clinics. Primary call is currently spread out between first and second year. Daily 7:30am lectures follow the BCSC and saturday morning lectures are with the rest of the Chicago programs. Traditionally Loyola has been known as a strong clinical but weak research program. I think they were trying really hard to sell on on their research opportunities, but they still seemed pretty scarce to me. 200 cataracts, 31 strab, 75 plastics. 16 full time faculty and 17 part time faculty. Most residents live towards downtown because Maywood isn't the nicest place to live (or at least that is what they told me). Will likely be adding a 5th resident to the VA next year because the volume of patients at the VA has literally doubled in the last year. Residents reported that the VA is currently SUPER busy and days are long and tiring. Currently about half of your residency is spent at the VA and half at Loyola. Call is very busy. The residents and attendings in ophthalmology wear blue coats instead of white and nobody seems to know why. I truly felt like most of the faculty interviewers were trying to get to know me (seven 20-minute 2:1 interviews). Path training comes via a virtual microscopy website. Loyola has a great burn unit so they see lots of stuff like SJS, TEN etc.
Pros: 2+ faculty in every subspecialty, minimal travel required between training sites, blind rehab center (unique!), strong surgery numbers, some really awesome younger faculty members (Dr. Patel, Dr. Price)
Cons: Saturday lectures suck, some interesting personalities in the department, no elective time, the VA is becoming insanely busy, no surgery simulator, research is weak
Conclusion: Solid program with great clinical training and an average reputation
