The Department of Ophthalmology, established in March of 1897, was only the third department set up at National Taiwan University Hospital. During the early years, it was the leadership of Prof. Yei-Fei Yang, who introduced and instituted the American medical system and residency program, that laid a sound foundation for the department’s future development. The program was further refined and implemented by successive department chairs including Prof. Jung-Mao Zhang, Prof. Por-Tying Hung, Prof. Liang-Shi Ko, Prof. Ping-Kang Hou, Prof. Muh-Shy Chen, Prof. Long-Kuang Lin, Prof. Fung-Rong Hu, and Prof. Chung-May Yang. The desire to be one of the leading ophthalmological centers in the world is the driving force behind its continuous improvement.