Naples Expansion Nears Completion Femtosecond lasers 3

Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
2014 Chairman’s Report
Naples Expansion Nears Completion
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute’s growth in Naples is imminent. Construction of the new 20,000-square-foot,
state-of-the-art eye center is scheduled for completion in June 2015. Conveniently located near I-75, the
facility will significantly enhance Bascom Palmer’s capacity to serve patients in Southwest Florida. To
follow progress, watch the live webcam at www.bascompalmer.org/locations/bascom-palmer-naples.
EVENING OF
VISION GALA
On March 7, 2015 at The Mar-a-Lago Club,
Bascom Palmer celebrated with friends and
supporters its 34th annual Evening of Vision gala. Under the dedicated leadership of
Gala Chairmen Alfonso and Raysa Fanjul the “Beauty of the Eye” themed event was a
success. All gala proceeds support patient care and vision research at Bascom Palmer.
3-D Printing
The New Prosthetic Eye
Alfonso and Raysa Fanjul
Fort Lauderdale
Medical Forum
Palm Beach
Medical Forum
In November 2014, a Medical Forum and luncheon was held
at the Josepine S. Leiser Opera Center in Fort Lauderdale. The
following Bascom Palmer physicians shared advances in vision
research and eye care:
In January 2015, a Medical Forum and luncheon was also
held at the Mar-a-Lago Club, Palm Beach. The following
Bascom Palmer physicians shared advances in vision
research and eye care:
Janet L. Davis, M.D., M.A.
Uveitis, Inflammations and Infections of the Eye
Victor L. Perez, M.D.
Ocular Surface Diseases
Kendall E. Donaldson, M.D., M.S.
Cataract Surgery and Laser Vision Correction
David S. Greenfield, M.D.
Future of Glaucoma Therapy
Terrence P. O’Brien, M.D.
Advanced Cataract Surgery and Laser Vision Correction
Jorge Fortun, M.D.
Advances in Treatment of Macular Degeneration
She was barely a teenager when cancer robbed her of
an eye. Her eyelid and eye orbit had to be removed.
The patient wishes to remain anonymous, but she is
willing to share her story.
The mortality rate is high. Yet some
patients undergo a life-saving surgery
that involves removing the contents
of the eye socket and other tissue.
The family could not afford an artificial eye for their
precious child. It would have cost $10,000 - $15,000.
That’s when the girl’s doctor, David T. Tse, M.D.,
professor of ophthalmology and the Nasser Ibrahim
Al-Rashid Chair in Ophthalmic Plastic, Orbital Surgery
and Oncology, determined to go beyond the call of duty.
As Dr. Tse’s research team pursued this breakthrough
technology, he said, “Hopefully, using this quick and
less expensive 3-D printing process, we can make an
affordable facial prosthesis for our patient and also help
thousands of other people like her.”
Dr. Tse not only offered to raise donations for the girl’s
prosthesis, he also assembled a team of researchers to
begin developing an inexpensive way to make artificial
eyes for cancer patients using facial scanning software
and 3-D printing.
According to the American Cancer Society, more than
2,700 new cases of eye cancer are diagnosed each year.
Dr. Tse released his findings at the 2014 annual
meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Researchers have developed a process to manufacture
facial prostheses in a matter of hours at a fraction of
the cost of a traditional prosthesis.
At the age of 21, the patient received her first eye
prosthesis thanks to this innovative projected imagined
by Dr. Tse.
Femtosecond lasers
NEW OPTIONS FOR COMPLEX CATARACT SURGERY
Dr. Eduardo Alfonso, Jean-Faye Friedt,
Theodore Friedt
Peter Burgess, Mike Zamborous,
Glenn Friedt
Fruema and Elliot Klorfein
Iris Apfel, Dr. Eduardo Alfonso,
Lois Pope
Viewing the Brain through the Eye
RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA
GENETIC RESEARCH OFFERS HOPE
Thanks to the generous support of the Finker Frenkel
Foundation, seed funding has been provided to Delia
Cabrera DeBuc, Ph.D., and her team for the development
of a rapid, low-cost and non-invasive multimodal
methodology that will offer early detection, screening and
personalized monitoring of Alzheimer’s disease based on
distinctive eye-brain signatures. The platform includes
both mobile and handheld neuro-electrophysiological
technologies as well as advanced ophthalmic imaging
devices in order to see the brain through the eye.
Professors of ophthalmology, Rong Wen, M.D., Ph.D.,
and Byron Lam, M.D., have identified a key marker in
blood and urine that can identify people who carry genetic
mutations responsible for retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a
group of inherited eye diseases that cause progressive vision
loss and blindness due to degeneration of the retina.
Advancing the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease As a result of this breakthrough research, a simple
diagnostic test will now help in developing treatments
for RP caused by certain mutations.
Everyone is at risk of developing
cataracts, a condition that leads to
diminished, blurred or distorted vision
when the lens of the eye thickens and
becomes cloudy or dark. Cataracts can
occur at any age as a result of disease
or injuries that leave scar tissue on the
lens and may also damage the eye’s
underlying structures. According to
Prevent Blindness America, cataracts
are the leading cause of blindness in
the world and 30 million Americans
age 40 and older will have cataracts
by the year 2020.
Traditional cataract surgery is a
well-established procedure that
produces good vision outcomes in
most patients. “Cataract surgery
Dr. David Tse
is a life-changing experience,” says
Carol L. Karp, M.D., professor of
ophthalmology. “While regular
cataract surgery works beautifully
to improve vision, the ability to use
highly precise lasers can take these
surgical procedures to a new level.”
The femtosecond laser uses data
to make tiny, precisely configured
incisions in the cornea. One of the
key benefits for patients is that the
laser can place those incisions in
a pattern to decrease astigmatism
more precisely than can be done by
hand. And the femtosecond laser can
be programmed to make its initial
incisions in an interlocking or zigzag
manner so that the cataract incision
Age, injury, or other
factors can cause
the lens of the eye to
become a cataract
which blurs, dims,
discolors, and clouds
one’s vision. Dr. Carol
Karp (left) finds that
femtosecond lasers
can enhance outcomes
in trauma cases.
can seal itself after surgery for a
quicker patient recovery.
Summing up the advantages of laserassisted surgery in trauma cases, Dr.
Karp says, “The femtosecond laser
offers patients major benefits when
the corneal tissues are weak from
disease or injury. It’s a kinder,
gentler form of cataract surgery.”
From the Chairman
Dear Friends,
2014 was a very good
year for Bascom
Palmer Eye Institute
— an exciting year
of new discoveries
and medical advances
in ophthalmology. It is impossible to
cover every aspect of the exceptional
clinical care and research that sets this
institution apart, as evidenced by our
11th consecutive #1 U.S. ranking in
ophthalmology by U.S. News & World
Report. However, this 2014 Report will
share several highlights with you.
Rest assured, we will not stand on our
laurels. With 2015 well underway,
our physician-scientists are engaged
in clinical trials using gene therapy,
retinal chips, genomics and stem cell
therapy, and studying genetic mapping
of cancers to better target treatment.
In other words, we are using the latest
methodologies to further advances in
diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases.
Our researchers are also conducting
laboratory studies on the molecular
basis of degenerative diseases of the
eyes that hopefully will lead to new
clinical treatments.
With your generous support, we will
continue to grow and improve. Thank
you for your partnership in our mission
to enhance the quality of life by
improving sight, preventing blindness
and advancing ophthalmic knowledge
through compassionate patient care and
innovative vision research.
Sincerely,
Eduardo C. Alfonso, M.D.
Kathleen and Stanley J. Glaser
Chair in Ophthalmology
Chairman, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
GROWTH AT BASCOM PALMER
NEW FACULTY ADD TO DEPTH OF EXPERTISE
Helen L. Kornmann, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant professor of clinical ophthalmology.
A glaucoma specialist, Dr. Kornmann is available
for consultation at Bascom Palmer in Miami.
H. Ellen Koo, M.D.
Assistant professor of ophthalmology. Dr. Koo is
available for consultation on corneal and external
disease, cataracts and intraocular lens, LASIK, and
laser vision correction at Bascom Palmer at Palm
Beach Gardens.
Luis J. Haddock, M.D.
Assistant professor of clinical ophthalmology.
Dr. Haddock, a vitreoretinal specialist, is available
for consultation at Bascom Palmer in Miami and
Palm Beach Gardens.
Arindel S. Maharaj, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant professor of clinical ophthalmology.
Dr. Maharaj, a glaucoma specialist, is available
for consultation on glaucoma at Bascom Palmer’s
locations in Miami, Naples, and Palm Beach Gardens.
Luis E. Vazquez, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant professor of clinical ophthalmology.
A glaucoma specialist, Dr. Vazquez is available
for consultation at Bascom Palmer in Miami.
Tracy M. Wright, M.D.
Assistant professor of clinical ophthalmology.
Dr. Wright, a glaucoma specialist, is available for
consultation at Bascom Palmer’s locations in Palm
Beach Gardens, Miami, and Naples.
Marco Ruggeri, Ph.D.
Research assistant professor of ophthalmology.
Dr. Ruggeri works closely with Bascom Palmer’s
physicians to develop advanced imaging technology
that can have a direct impact on patient care.
Daniel Pelaez, Ph.D.
Research assistant professor of ophthalmology.
Dr. Pelaez’s research focuses on injuries to the
optic nerve, stem cell therapies for orbital tumors,
and limbal cell transplantation for corneal and
external diseases.
NINE PHYSICIANS RECOGNIZED
WITH ENDOWED CHAIRS
HILDA CAPÓ, M.D.
John T. Fynn Chair in Ophthalmology
To support research in childhood eye
diseases and disorders
JANET L. DAVIS, M.D., M.A.
Leach Chair in Ophthalmology
To support ophthalmic research
conducted to improve patient care
SANDER R. DUBOVY, M.D.
Victor T. Curtin Chair
in Ophthalmology
To support experimental
ophthalmic pathology
STEVEN J. GEDDE, M.D.
John G. Clarkson Chair in
Medical Education
To support ophthalmic education
at Bascom Palmer
BYRON L. LAM, M.D.
Robert Z. & Nancy J. Greene Chair
in Ophthalmology
To support vision research
RICHARD K. PARRISH II, M.D.
Edward W.D. Norton Chair in
Ophthalmology
To support vision care and research
VICTOR L. PEREZ, M.D.
Walter G. Ross Chair
in Ophthalmic Research
To advance medical research by
translating research findings into
clinical uses
VITTORIO PORCIATTI, D.Sc.
James L. Knight Professorship
in Ophthalmology
To support vision research
and education
WILLIAM E. SMIDDY, M.D.
M. Brenn Green Chair
in Ophthalmology
To support diabetic eye disease
research at Bascom Palmer
FIRST STUDY ON HAITIAN-AMERICAN
GLAUCOMA RATES
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness
worldwide, disproportionately affecting African
Americans and Latinos living in the United States.
Physicians at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and
medical students at the University of Miami Miller
School of Medicine have been the first to publish
data on the prevalence of glaucoma in the HaitianAmerican population.
Richard K. Lee, M.D., Ph.D., and Richard K. Parrish,
II, M.D., led the study. Their findings, based on data
from 750 participants, show that nearly 26 percent of
Haitian-Americans have signs and symptoms for various
stages of glaucoma. The disease is characterized by
slowly progressive optic nerve atrophy. Glaucoma is
typically a painless and silent blinding disease. It can
be easily screened for in a community setting and
treated to prevent further vision loss and blindness.
This important study clearly points to the need for
awareness and screening to prevent vision loss.
Dr. Richard K. Parrish
Dr. Richard K. Lee
PEDIATRIC GLAUCOMA
CARE AND RESEARCH
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is launching
an integrated care center to serve children
with glaucoma. This international
program, to be led by glaucoma specialist
Alana Grajewski, M.D., is the first of
its kind worldwide and has been made
possible through the generosity of Donna
Mae Balkan Litowitz.
Ms. Litowitz learned the power of vision
and the spirit of charity at a young age
in Chicago. She once watched her
mother, Ethel Balkan, help a stranger
who had broken her glasses when she
stumbled in the street. The distraught
woman was unable to safely see, so
Ethel went out of her way to walk the
stranger to a doctor. Upon learning
that replacing the glasses would
be a hardship for the woman, Ethel
volunteered to have the glasses repaired
or replaced.
Ms. Litowitz never forgot the impact
of her mother’s generosity or the
importance of vision; and in this
same spirit, she has given $2 million
in honor of her parents, Samuel and
Ethel Balkan, to save vision in the most
vulnerable infants and children.
Bascom Palmer’s Samuel & Ethel
Balkan International Pediatric
Glaucoma Center will serve as the
hub for treatment and international
collaboration on research and treatment
of pediatric glaucoma.