Issue Management Management Issue - Illinois College of Optometry

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E Y E O N P A T I E N T S
There is such a thing as good fortune. Just ask Victoria Gordon.
In January 2007, Gordon, a self-employed entrepreneur, experienced a sudden loss of vision. She
was at work and noticed she was having problems seeing the transcript she was typing. The vision
in her left eye was greatly distorted. Suddenly half the world was sunk in a shadowy fog. Gordon
couldn’t work. She could barely get around her house, let alone drive a car.
Greatly distraught, she did manage to get to
an eye doctor, Dr. Len Messner, Vice
President for Patient Care Services at the
Illinois Eye Institute. Messner, who is also a
Professor at the Illinois College of
Optometry, discovered Gordon’s visual
acuity was 20/20 in her right eye and 20/400
in her left eye. She was diagnosed with a
macular hole, a small break in the eye’s
light-sensitive tissue. The macula provides
the sharp, central vision needed for reading,
driving, and seeing fine detail.
“The biggest challenge in dealing with a
macular hole is the timing of the vision
loss,” explains Messner. “In order to restore
vision, surgical intervention within weeks of
symptom onset is critical. Unfortunately,
many patients do not present in a timely
fashion. Fortunately, Ms. Gordon did.”
Messner recommended she undergo a vitrectomy,
a surgical procedure to replace the
gel-like filling inside the eye and to close
the hole in the macula. He referred Gordon
to Dr. David Tresley, vitreo-retinal consultant
for IEI.
On Time
TIMING PLAYS KEY
ROLE IN SAVING
PATIENT’S VISION
Tresley’s prognosis was good and he wanted
to conduct surgery as quickly as possible.
But Gordon could not afford the surgery,
and she is uninsured.
Once again, time was on her side. The Eye
Institute’s Vision of Hope Health Alliance
had recently received a grant from the State
of Illinois. VOHHA is a community service
program that provides comprehensive eye
care services, as well as related medical
referrals, for uninsured adults free-of-charge.
“Illinois State Representative, Esther Golar,
who shepherded the grant to IEI, has been a
huge advocate of our charitable service
programs,” says Messner. “In addition to
doing the right thing, she realizes that not
availing patients access to health care is
unethical and ultimately results in a huge
cost to society through loss of productivity
and disability management.”
When Gordon was informed she was eligible
for funding that would pay for the vitrectomy,
she felt as if a great weight had
been lifted off her shoulders. “If I were to
become blind, I would not be able to make
a living,” she says.
One month after being diagnosed, Gordon
underwent the vitrectomy. She had to
remain face down for approximately 22
hours a day the first two weeks following
surgery. “You could gradually let up, but
you still had to remain face down as much
as possible for the next four weeks,” says
Gordon.
(l to r) Illinois State Representative Esther
Golar, Dr. David Lee, Victoria Gordon,
Dr. Len Messner
The next October, she had surgery for a
cataract, a side effect of the vitrectomy.
Gordon’s vision has improved to 20/60 in
her left eye, which is significant, notes
Tresley.
“The doctors at the Illinois Eye Institute are
a great credit to their profession,” Gordon
says. “They are very knowledgeable and
great with people. The hospital staff is
patient and very pleasant.
“I have nothing but good things to say about
IEI,” Gordon adds, “and nothing but good
feelings about the overall experience.”
Both doctors were gratified to be able to
restore Gordon’s vision. As Messner put it,
“We are simply happy that funding was
available to get Ms. Gordon the care she
needed. Without treatment, she would be
blind.”
To support ICO’s charitable services
programs, contact David Korajczyk at
(312) 949-7075 or dkorajczyk@ico.edu.
— Ruth Carol
ICO MATTERS SPRING 2008 / 18