Dr. Claire Latimer was raised in Detroit, MI and Shenfield, England. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Tufts University and earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Michigan State University. The faculty at Michigan State University, including Drs. Keller, Schmidt, Blanchard and Glaze, nurtured her interest in veterinary ophthalmology.

After one year in small animal practice, she entered residency training at The Ohio State University under Dr. Milt Wyman, the GOAT. In 1982, she became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists and obtained a Master of Science degree from The Ohio State University in 1983. 

Dr. Latimer then practiced general veterinary ophthalmology in New Hampshire and Massachusetts before returning to The Ohio State University as an assistant professor in 1984. She has been practicing equine ophthalmology in Lexington, KY since 1986.