Johns Hopkins-trained doctor now in the Philippines

“I knew even before I went to the US to train that I was going back here,” shared Dr. Franz Marie Cruz, the first Filipina to graduate from a neuro-ophthalmology fellowship at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University in the United States. “For one, my family is here. Plus, there are only about 30 neuro-ophthalmologists in the country, not enough to serve over 90 million Filipinos. Mas kailangan ako dito (I am more needed here),” she added.

Cruz, a doctor at PELI, is one of the
few neuro-opthalmologists in the
country.

Cruz is a neuro-ophthalmologistat the Pacific Eye and Laser Institute, one of the emerging premier eye-care centers in Asia. She also specializes in treating patients with uveitis, medical retina and cataract. She pursued a career in neuro- ophthalmology after receiving a medical degree from the University of the Philippines and completing her three-year residency at the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences of the UP-Philippine General Hospital.

According to Cruz, neurosurgery, neurology and neuro-ophthalmology are related in that they deal with brain diseases. She said eye health issues such as vision loss, double vision and having problems in one’s peripheral fields may be symptoms of more serious health risks, such as multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis and brain tumors. “There are brain tumors that affect vision or eye movement,” she shared. “Neuro-ophthalmologists are trained to find out whether a patient’s eye problems are linked with brain disorders.”

Cruz stressed the importance of undergoing routine eye exams as it determines not only a patient’s prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses, but also checks the eyes for common diseases and evaluates them as an indicator of one’s overall health.

“A patient went here to make sure he was wearing the right prescription glasses. During my examination, I suspected he had a problem with his brain,” she shared. “We did an MRI and found out that he indeed had a tumor. Luckily, we discovered it early. He came back to thank me and said that I saved his life.”

Cruz also shared the story of one young patient who had fever for three weeks. Her parents brought her to different doctors and had her checked for dengue, UTI and other illnesses, to no avail. “The patient also complained of blurred vision in one eye. When her parents brought her to me, I saw that the optic nerve was swollen. We found out that she was scratched by a cat one week before she became sick.”

Cruz said there aren't enough neuro-ophthalmologists practicing in the country.

"Filipino eye doctors are probably among the best cataract surgeons in the world. However the challenge is to improve our clinical eye in detecting neuro-ophthalmologic diseases in their early stages before they cause more serious illness,” she said.

Cruz is doing her share by working part-time as a faculty member of the San Beda University College of Medicine.

Pacific Eye and Laser Institute Surgicenter is located at 50 Jupiter Street, Bel-Air, Makati City. The center also has clinics in Quezon City and Binondo, Manila. For more information about its services and to find out more about neuro-opthalmology, visit www.pacificeye.com.ph.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/03/24/johns-hopkins-trained-doctor-now-in-the-philippines/

Vision lost in glaucoma cannot be reversed

My mail sparked conversation on Glaucoma. With the following findings/ discussion/  I feel it is important for all primary eye specialists to look for early detection of Glaucoma. Health ministry and social orgs. must make it mandatory to look for Glaucoma even in routine check up and avoid permanent loss of vision.  Alok Tholiya Corres_2nd Floor Mar 15 (2 days ago)
to me

Dear Sir

Thank you for your mail. Yes, as rightly pointed out, glaucoma cannot be cured but can be controlled with medicines or surgery. Vision lost in glaucoma cannot be reversed, the purpose of treatment is to preserve existing vision.
regards,

Dr. Manish Panday

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From: "Corres_2nd Floor" <corres2@snmail.org>
To: "Dr.Dr Manish Panday" <drmpy@snmail.org>
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2014 9:56:40 AM
Subject: Fwd: steroid-induced Glaucoma stealing sight in young

Dear Sir

Forwarding this mail for your opinion please

P Rekha

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From: "Dr.Tarun Sharma" <drts@snmail.org>
To: "corres2" <corres2@snmail.org>
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2014 9:24:10 AM
Subject: Fwd: steroid-induced Glaucoma stealing sight in young

any glaucome consultant opinion

Dr. Tarun Sharma, MD, FRCSEd, MBA
Director, Shri Bhagwan Mahavir Vitreoretinal Services
Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India
Please visit:
www.sankaranethralaya.org
www.omtrust.org
www.supportsankaranethralaya.org

---

From: "Alok Tholiya" <atholiya@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2014 2:54:08 AM
Subject: steroid-induced Glaucoma stealing sight in young

NEW DELHI: A few weeks ago, 27-year-old Ajit (name changed) consulted an eye specialist because of poor vision. His examination showed that he had lost 70% of his sight in one eye and 10%-15% in another eye due to Glaucoma, a disease associated with old age. As he had no family history of glaucoma, it was hard to explain the cause for his illness till he informed doctors about the eye drop he had been using to treat an infection.

"It was a steroid-based eye drop. He had been prescribed the medicine long ago for allergic conjunctivitis. He, however, used it indiscriminately for all eye problems as the medicine was effective. He had a steroid-induced glaucoma, but by the time he came to us it was too late," says Dr Mahipal Sachdev, chairman and medical director, Centre for Sight Group of Eye Hospitals.

These days, doctors prescribe steroid-based medicines for a lot of conditions like asthma, skin allergies and post-surgery problems. Ophthalmologists say these medicines should be taken under supervision, and patients should undergo a glaucoma test two to three weeks after the course is over. "It is important to get eyesight tested in these cases as loss of vision in Glaucoma is gradual. Patients don't notice it as the peripheral vision is affected first," said Sachdev. Doctors see an increase in young patients.

In India, lack of awareness about the disease and its prevention are the main reasons for delayed diagnosis. Though people know about glaucoma or kala motia, as it is commonly referred to in large parts of India, eye doctors find that most cases come at a later stage when the damage is done. And this year's World Glaucoma Week's theme-Beat Invisible Glaucoma-is about early diagnosis. It starts from March 9.

Unlike cataract, the harm done by glaucoma is irreversible as it damages the optic nerve. "Nearly 20% of the patients are blind in one eye by the time they take help. We can prevent blindness in glaucoma patients. We now have the technology to treat the disease but it requires routine tests," said Dr Ramanjit Sihota, professor and head of the glaucoma centre at AIIMS.

"A simple test of field of vision, intraocular pressure test and gonioscopy- a method to find the type of glaucoma - is enough for the diagnosis. One should undergo the test once a year. In case of medical history, patients should take doctors' advice,'' said Dr Kenshuk Marwa, consultant, Rockland Hospital. Dr Parul Sharma, head of ophthalmology at Max Healthcare, said, "Most doctors routinely check for glaucoma in all patients. The eye pressure can be controlled by medicines."

With technical advances, doctors say it is much easier to manage the disease. Though the damaged portion can't be revived, further harm is prevented. "In extreme cases, we implant valves to create a drainage channel. We use laser to pull open the trabecular mesh in the drainage area. This reduces the pressure inside the eye,'' said Dr Harsh Kumar, former president of Glaucoma Society of India.