Dr. Ira Long is a native of Chattanooga.  He began his ophthalmology practice in 1954.  He received his undergraduate education at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.  His Internship was done at St. Thomas Hospital, Nashville.  Dr. Long did his Ophthalmology residency at Baltimore Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.  He was certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology in 1954 and in 1987 was named a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Long is a clinical instructor in the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tennessee College of Medicine.  He spends time each week seeing patients with the residents at the Miller Eye Clinic, giving lectures to residents on a rotating basis. 

Dr. Long is a member of numerous professional organizations including the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Tennessee Academy of Ophthalmology.