 After a brief hiatus from teaching he returned to the field as professor of optometry at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, not to be confused with similarly named UNMC, where he taught between the years 1903-1925.He also served as associate dean of this institution from 1902-1911.During this hiatus, Gifford conducted laboratory research, in some cases volunteering his own eyes as test subjects, during which time he made several discoveries furthering man's understanding of the cause of diseases of the eyes.