2 ■
SUMMER 1993 ISSUE
■
SINAI HOSPITAL
What You See.- -
Department of Ophthalmology
Celebrates Medical Firsts
or anyone who has ever come in first place --you know the feeling. Not
much can top knowing that you were the best in your field. For most, the
joy ()foaming in first may be a fleeting moment, but the feeling stays with you
for a lifetime.
Since Sinai Hospital first opened its doors in 1953, striving to be first in re-
search, education and patient care has been part of the hospital's commit-
ment to the community.
"Not every piece of research will result in a medical first," explains Chair-
man of Ophthalmology Hugh Beckman, M.D. "But being first isn't the pri-
mary goal of research — the quest for innovation in treatment and patient
care is."
Some of the Department of Ophthalmology's most' notable achievements
are:
Sinai establishes the first
1 gO2Sinai becomes the only
training program in the
hospital in Michigan us-
state to teach ophthal-
ing the Excimer laser to
perform refractive surgery. The new mologists how to implant intraocular
laser helps to correct nearsightedness lenses for rehabilitation after cataract
with less scarring than other meth- surgery.
ospital
Sinai is the
ods.
lasers
to
h
1
the
world
use
1
Sinai
is
the
first
hospital
1
fil-
perform
to
utilize
in the Midwest to
the super pulse carbon tration surgery for the treatment of
dimdde laser for plastic surgery on glaucoma.
comes
nm Ise the first
Sinai be cio
the eyelids.
state
hospital
t
hospital
fi rs
to perfo rm 1971 use the argon laser for
Si hestaete
is
ag Laser capsulotomy retinal photocoagulation of vascular
diseases of the retina.
for the treatment of cataracts.
The Department of Ophthalmol-
the firs
purchases the hospital's first ul-
1082 the world t tto experi - ogy
ment with lasers to alter trasonic imaging device and performs
the refractive state of the cornea to the state's first ophthalmic ultra-
correct such conditions as myopia sound for diagnosis of eye muscle and
(nearsightedness), hyperopia (far- eye socket problems.
Sinai is the first hospital in the
sightedness) or astigmatism (irregu-
state to use fluorescein angiography
lar surface of the cornea).
as a diagnostic modality for diseases
iil
Sinai
in is
the retina.
state to perform ar- of Sinai
is the first hospital in the
gon las er
ty, a non-surgical treatment for world to perform transcleral laser cy-
clocoagulation for the non-surgical
glaucoma.
treatment of severe glaucomas which
training
As part
g a m , S°ifnaa i hi s t e fir st are not easily managed or cured.
hosp ital
teach small incision phakoemulsifi-
cation of cataracts, a procedure in
which ultrasound and ultrasound treatment dangle closure glaucoma.
waves are used to liquefy the center The laser is used to create a small
opening near the root of the iris
portion of the cataract.
through which eye fluids can drain.
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HealthNews
HealthNews is published as a community service
to provide up-to-date information about Sinai Hospi-
tal, its physicians and services.
Founded in 1953, Sinai Hospital is a 603-bed ter-
tiary care facility on a 36-acre campus centrally lo-
cated in metropolitan Detroit. Michigan's only
Jewish-sponsored hospital, Sinai has numerous satel-
lite locations throughout the area.
HealthNews is produced by Sinai Hospital's Corpo-
rate Communications/Marketing Department. For
more information, please write Sinai Hospital Cor-
porate Communications/Marketing, 6767 W. Outer
Drive, Detroit, Michigan 48235.
Copyright 1993 by Sinai Hospital.
From routine vision
care to innovative
laser surgery, Sinai's
Department of Oph-
thalmology cares for
your sight.
inai Hospital's
comprehensive 36-
member Depart-
ment of Ophthal-
mology cares for every fam-
ily member's sight. From
glasses to refractive
surgery, one call to (313)
493-LOOK (5665), puts you
in touch with several high-
ly-specialized areas of oph-
thalmic care in the Sinai
Health System.
Under the umbrella of
the Department of Oph-
thalmology, the Center for
Clear Vision, Vision Reha-
bilitation Institute, Laser
Refractive Center, Center
for Ophthalmic Research
and Development, Sinai
Eye Consultants and the
Eye Clinic each provides
the latest techniques in vi-
sion care in the Sinai tra-
dition of excellence in
patient care.
S
Vision care is available for the whole family at Sinai's Center for Clear
Vision in the Blumberg Health Center on the hospital's main campus.
Clear Vision
Center:
Vision Care for the
Entire Family
Physical examinations
I are routine, yet many
people often procrastinate
when it comes to vision ex-
ams. Annual eye exami-
nations for people with
normal vision can be a
tremendous help in pre-
serving the precious gift of
sight for the years ahead.
"It's important for adults
and children to have rou-
Ophthalmic Research Continued from page 1
determine if the VISX 20/20
Excimer laser is more effec-
tive than traditional meth-
When Sinai announced ods of correcting myopia
in March 1992 it was look- (nearsightedness), astig-
ing for people to participate matism and irregular
in a study to test the effec- corneal surfaces.
"Sinai Hospital is the
tiveness of the VISX 20/20
Excimer laser to correct only hospital in Michigan
nearsightedness in adults, currently using the VISX
no one in the Department of 20/20 Excimer laser," says
Ophthalmology was pre- Dr. Spigelman. "Unlike oth-
pared for the more than er lasers, the Excimer cuts
without heat and removes
9,000 calls it received.
Under the direction of tissue without . scarring.
corneal specialists Alan These characteristics make
Spigelman, M.D., and it ideal for refractive surgery
William Albert, M.D., the on the eye."
two-year study will help to
Bringing The World
Into Clear View
AI na
; I
tine vision tests," says Mary
Jo Ference, 0.D., Director
of the Center for Clear Vi-
sion which provides com-
prehensive eye care for the
entire family. In addition
to offering routine exams,
the center has available an
array of the latest fashions
in eye wear and contact
lenses at an affordable
price.
Vision Rehabil-
itation Insti-
tute Giving
New Hope to
the Partially-
Sighted
T
here are an estimated
15 million partially-
sighted individuals in the
United States, and that
number is growing due to
longer life spans and med-
ical advances preventing to-
tal blindness.
Sinai's Vision Rehabili-
tation Institute (VRI) treats
those individuals whose vi-
sion loss prevents them
from going about their dai-
ly activities — even after
trying glasses or other cor-
rective measures.
"Even when treatment
options have been exhaust-
ed, we can help low-vision
patients enhance their re-
maining sight," says Dr.
Ference. "It's especially im-
portant to treat low vision
on an individual basis since
there are a number of caus-
es for this condition, and we
can adjust treatment to
each person's case," she
says. Low vision may be
caused by glaucoma, cata-
racts, retinal detachment,
diabetes, injury or macular
degeneration, which is the
loss of central vision and the
major cause of vision loss
in the elderly. Symptoms
of low vision indude blurred
sight, loss of peripheral vi-
sion, night blindness, poor
depth perception, glare, dif-
ficulty in reading and the
inability to recognize im-
ages at a distance.
Following an assessment
by Sinai optometrists and
ophthalmologists, patients
learn how to enhance their
remaining vision through a
vision rehabilitation pro-
gram.
"Our goal is to save the
residual vision and help the
patient use what sight he or
she may have to continue
daily activities," says Dr.
Ference.
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