MEDICAL NEWS - JULY 2009
Partners in Success
How the John-Kenyon American Eye Institute Partners with Optometrists to Provide Care in Underserved Areas
By Dr. Britt Brockman
By partnering with optometrists from Corydon to HorseCave, the John-Kenyon American Eye Institute has built its practice and allowed local optometrists to offer a broader range of care to their patients. With offices in Louisville, New Albany and Jeffersonville, John-Kenyon has created partnerships with optometrists throughout Louisville and Southern Indiana as well as reaching out to doctors across a broader region in Indiana and Kentucky.
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hips give patients access to advanced medical eye care in conjunction with the trusted care of their local optometrist. For example, a patient who lives in Leitchfield, KY can visit their local optometrist for a check-up and learn they may have a cataract. Rather than having to travel to Louisville to meet with an ophthalmologist, they can set up an appointment in their hometown during one of my regular visits to Leitchfield.
While not practical to open an ophthalmology office in all of these rural areas, it is practical and worthwhile to offer our specific expertise in local optometrist offices. Many optometrists are quite able to handle most medical eye problems, but by offering our help we are able to bring complete medical and surgical eye care to rural areas.
If surgery is necessary, the patients can schedule an appointment in one of our Louisville-area offices. This co-management makes treatment much easier and more accessible for patients who live outside of the Louisville Metro area.
John-Kenyon American Eye Institute’s partnership with optometrists does not end at co-management. The practice regularly hosts Continuing Education Classes that provide optometrists with advanced training in a variety of specialties from cataracts to LASIK surgery and diabetic retinopathy. These classes are led by JKAEI physicians and give optometrists the opportunity to learn firsthand about new available treatments.
“In a busy practice, it is easy to take for granted the tremendous advances that are being made every year in the treatment of eye diseases,” said Dr. Howard Lazarus, a retina specialist. “Keeping pace with these advances requires commitment to continued learning which is exactly what our Continuing Education classes provide to local optometrists.”
John-Kenyon American Eye Institute is equally committed to providing their patients with the most advanced technology and techniques available. Refractive patients, like those having LASIK surgery, undergo treatment on the same laser technology approved by NASA and the US Military for their astronauts and pilots. The combination of the Allegretto and Interlase laser is the most advanced treatment available and has been shown in clinical trials to produce more 20/20 or better results than with a hand-held blade.
“Eye procedures carry risk, just like any surgery, but are extremely safe and effective,” said Dr. Asim Piracha, a cataract and refractive specialist, who has performed LASIK on thousands of patients using the advanced laser technology. “But by using the most advanced equipment available reduces risk and ensures patients receive the best results.”
The dedication to advanced technology also includes having the latest technology available for the treatment of retina conditions. Dr. Lazarus uses the PASCAL (Pattern Scan Laser Photocoagulator) laser to provide patients with faster, more comfortable and effective treatment of diabetic retinopathy. The speed and precision of the PASCAL laser allows treatment to be done up to 10 times faster with significantly less pain and without the need for anesthetic. JKAEI is especially proud to be the only practice in Kentuckiana region to offer this new and exciting technology.
The commitment to providing patients with the best service and technology available has been key to our practice since its inception. John-Kenyon American Eye Institute is constantly looking for ways to improve patient care whether it by learning a new technique, teaching a continuing education class or developing materials to educate patients.