Volume 16, Number 1
April 2007
The 1st Annual Glaucoma
Service Foundation CARES Conference A Tremendous Success!
The 1st Annual Glaucoma Service Foundation CARES Conference held
on January 20th featured lectures by ten Wills Eye Glaucoma Service
physicians. Free screenings for family members of glaucoma patients
and the community, and information about resources offered to
individuals living with glaucoma were also available. More than
200 people from around the country attended this free patient
directed educational conference and 54 received free glaucoma
screenings.
In an effort to raise awareness about glaucoma and to further
educate glaucoma patients, the Glaucoma Service physicians and
the Foundation staff worked together to address the many issues
glaucoma patients face. Topics included an overview of glaucoma,
its risk factors, treatments, adherence to therapy, and communicating
with your doctor. Each lecture was followed by a question and
answer session. This unique conference allowed for patients and
their families to speak directly with glaucoma physicians in a
relaxed atmosphere. It also afforded them the chance to speak
with others who are living with this potentially blinding disease.
As Mr. Jim Lasher said in a postconference letter, “It is
comforting to know that we are not alone on this journey.”
In addition, attendees had the opportunity to visit with representatives
from Allergan, Alcon, and Pfizer, Associated Services for the
Blind and Visually Impaired, Sunrise of Dresher, the Wills Eye
Low Vision Service, and the Wills Eye Glaucoma Research Center.
The Foundation staff is extremely grateful to the 42 volunteers
who made this event possible. We appreciate the glaucoma clinical
and research fellows, the foreign physician observers, and Wills
Eye/Jefferson residents for conducting the glaucoma screenings.
The Glaucoma Service office staff and their families, and the
Delta Gamma Sorority from Villanova University graciously assisted
with every other aspect of the event. We would also like to recognize
the Members of the Glaucoma Service Foundation’s Board of
Trustees who provided information to the participants about the
Foundation’s programs.
We are also grateful for the support of our lead sponsor Allergan,
the Wills Eye Audio Visual Department, the Wills Eye Property
Management staff and the several local companies that generously
provided donations of food and services.
The number of patients who chose to attend this conference in
an effort to educate themselves about glaucoma, it’s treatments,
and how to partner with their physicians for the best possible
outcome, was remarkable. The large number of positive, post-conference
patient responses strongly emphasizes the need for this type of
outreach.
We are eagerly looking forward to the 2nd Annual Glaucoma Service
Foundation CARES Conference! We’ll see you there!
Click
here for CARES Photos by Mr. Roger Barone
Letter from the Executive Director
Happy New Year! And what a year it has been so
far. As you can see on the cover of this issue of Searchlight
on Glaucoma, the Foundation’s 1st Annual CARES
Conference was extremely successful. We have received many letters
and e-mails from grateful participants who benefited from various
aspects of the conference. If you attended the conference and
haven’t done so already, please take a moment to fill out
the questionnaire we mailed to you in March. Your feedback will
help ensure the success of the next CARES conference.
If you would like to suggest a topic for inclusion in the 2008
program, please contact the Foundation office.
As you may know, in addition to patient education programs, the
Foundation also supports continuing medical education. Through
the efforts of Dr. L. Jay Katz, Wills Eye Glaucoma Service Director,
Dr. Brian Francis Clinical Professor, Doheny Eye Institute at
the University of California, and the physicians on the Glaucoma
Service, the Foundation is helping to coordinate a glaucoma web-cast
program. This interactive meeting (supported by an unrestricted
educational grant from Merck) will explore novel ideas in glaucoma
management and will re-evaluate current clinical care. The web-cast
will be available for physicians to view on the Foundation’s
website.
In closing, as in every April issue of Searchlight, we have included
a list of individuals who have made contributions to the Glaucoma
Service Foundation. On behalf of the many glaucoma patients who
benefit from the Foundation sponsored programs, I would like to
personally thank each donor for his or her generous support. We
couldn’t do it with you!
Sincerely,
Nancy Petrongolo
The Importance of
Family Awareness
By: Bonnie Carr Long
It has been proven that family history of glaucoma puts you
at higher risk for developing the disease. Ms. Bonnie Carr Long,
a glaucoma patient and member of the Foundation’s Board
of Trustees, has a long family history of glaucoma. She has written
a series of articles for Searchlight, sharing her story and emphasizing
the importance of family awareness. The following is the first
in this series.
My story has a happy ending. I was diagnosed with glaucoma nearly
40 years ago. I was just 19 at the time. I would have to say that
it was a combination of luck, very aware parents and grandparents,
and an extremely talented doctor that have contributed to my successful
outcome in dealing with this disease. I had surgery in 1977. I
have not used any medications for my glaucoma since that time
and have not lost any vision to the effects of the disease. I
am one of 11 family members with glaucoma.We are a composite of
young and old, male and female and we extend over four generations.
We are related on my mother’s side. Sadly, not everyone
in my family has had the same positive results in dealing with
this disease.
With the CARES Conference in January, The Glaucoma
Service Foundation has launched an educational campaign to reach
out to one of the high-risk groups – individuals with a
family history of glaucoma. I have been asked to share my story,
and that of my family’s. So, let’s start with some
of the lessons I’ve learned.
My personal experience, our family history, and the experiences
of my relatives have taught me several things…
- Have your eyes examined, and encourage family members to
do the same. If you have a family history of glaucoma, it’s
never too early. I was only 19 and several of my cousin’s
children have been diagnosed at an even younger age.
- Use your medications. Do what the doctors tell you to do.
This was a difficult lesson that I’ll talk more about
later. But, especially for young people, it’s hard to
accept that you have what could be a devastating disease when
you have no symptoms…often no pain, no blood, no trouble
seeing (until it’s too late).
- Find good medical care. This is not meant to insult any individuals
or groups, but when you are dealing with glaucoma, and especially
if you are in a high risk group (family history puts you in
that category), you need to be under the care of an ophthalmologist
who can perform a dilated exam, who understands the disease
and knows how to treat it.
- Educate yourself and be an active participant in the treatment.
After all, it is your vision…no one else’s. Know
what you are dealing with, understand the medications that are
prescribed, be aware of the possible side effects. Ask questions.
My family story started with my maternal grandmother who was
diagnosed with glaucoma when she was in her early 50s. We have
all heard the saying that glaucoma is the “sneak thief
of sight.” If my grandmother were here today, she would
tell you that she was not aware of the disease or the damage
it was doing.
She thought she was simply having trouble with her vision. She
saw an optometrist who prescribed glasses—five different
prescriptions that did not solve the problem. He did not diagnose
her glaucoma.
As my mother tells the story (I don’t remember those days
of her diagnosis or her surgery) my grandmother awoke one morning
and rubbed her eye…as she did so, she realized that she
could not see out of the other eye. She had also been having headaches,
but because the glasses did not make a difference, she and my
grandfather thought perhaps she was having trouble with her teeth,
and she went to see a dentist. The dentist pulled her teeth, but
that didn’t solve her problem either. Her eyes did not get
better. Finally, she went to see her family physician, who referred
her to an ophthalmologist who diagnosed glaucoma and wisely referred
her to a specialist—Dr. Edmund Spaeth, at Wills Eye Hospital.
Her disease was quite advanced. Surgery offered the only possibility
of saving what little sight she had remaining. Surgery in the
early 1950s was a very different experience than surgery is today.
My grandmother was in the hospital for two weeks and had to lie
flat in bed with her head between sandbags. It was quite an ordeal,
but it did preserve what little sight she had left.
I remember many wonderful things about my grandmother. Although
she had very limited vision, she certainly managed well and didn’t
let her vision loss stop her from living independently. Had she
known about glaucoma, had her physician been more aware, she may
not have lost so much vision. Her quality of life certainly would
have been improved. But her difficulties were an important lesson
for the rest of us. This is nothing to fool around with. This
is something you might not know you have. This is something that
could have a devastating impact on the way you live your life.
My mother was in her early 40s when she was diagnosed with glaucoma,
and not too long after, I learned that I too had the disease.
Look for the second article in this series in the August 2007
issue of Searchlight on Glaucoma.
“CHAT HIGHLIGHTS”
In a recent chat session Dr. Michael Pro and chat participants
discussed Cataracts and the Glaucoma Patient. The following are
highlights of the chat:
P: Please explain what a cataract is.
Dr. Pro: A cataract is an opacification or clouding
of the natural lens, which usually is due to normal aging. Cataract
extraction has become one of the most common and successful surgical
procedures in the U.S.
P: Are cataracts a risk factor for glaucoma?
Is glaucoma a risk factor for cataracts?
Dr. Pro: That question is a bit complicated
to answer. First we need to speak about the type of glaucoma.
In angle-closure glaucoma (narrow angles), the cataract crowds
the anterior chamber, pushing the iris forward. A mature cataract
in that condition can actually cause or contribute to angle-closure,
thus being a risk for that type of glaucoma.
However, the most common type ofglaucoma in the U.S. is open angle
glaucoma, and
here the answer gets trickier. CIGTS (Collaborative Initial Glaucoma
Treatment Study), an important study sponsored by the National
Institute of Health, compared medically and surgically treated
glaucoma patients. “The four year interim outcomes noted
no significant difference in visual field loss between the medically
and surgically treated patients. Patients assigned to trabeculectomy
had lower intraocular pressures, but demonstrated a greater risk
for significant loss of visual acuity and a threefold increased
rate of cataract progression.”
P: So trabeculectomy seems to be a risk factor
for cataracts?
Dr. Pro: Yes.
P: Are a “ripe” cataract and a “mature”
cataract the same?
Dr. Pro: Yes but those really aren’t medical
terms, in that they hold no diagnostic value. Rather, they are
used to describe the condition to the patient.
In The News
The Glaucoma Service Foundation reaches out to the Philadelphia
Community with a strong glaucoma awareness message.
- Glaucoma Service patient, Mrs. Elizabeth Kennedy, and Dr.
L. Jay Katz were interviewed about glaucoma by reporter Michelle
Durham of KYW 1060 AM on January 17th.
- Dr. Jonathan Myers spoke about glaucoma with Greg McCoy on
CN8's Your Morning Show on January 19th.
- Sheinelle Jones hosted Dr. George Spaeth on Fox's Good Day
Philadelphia: Ask the Expert on January 18th.
- Dr. Tricia Thomas was interviewed about glaucoma by Eleanor
Dezzi on WURD-AM on January 11th.
- Mr. Elmer Smith interviewed Dr. Jeffrey Henderer about the
impact of glaucoma on the African-American community on WHAT-FM
on January 10th. Dr. Henderer also spoke with Yanina Carter
on the Urban League Speaks on WDAS-AM along with glaucoma patient
Mrs. Elizabeth Kennedy on December 30th.
- Foundation Executive Director, Mrs. Nancy Petrongolo spoke
about the need for awareness about glaucoma with the host of
Comcast Newsmakers, Carla Showell Lee, in February. Letters
to the Editor by Mrs. Petrongolo also appeared in the Philadelphia
Daily News on January 22nd and El Hispano on January 24th.
The Glaucoma Service Foundation wishes to express or
sincere appreciation to the following media outlets: WDAS-AM,
WHAT-FM, WURD-AM, KYW 1060 AM, Fox 29, CN8, WPVI ABC 6, The Philadelphia
Daily News and the PECO Building for running our banner.
Thank You!
We wish to express our sincere appreciation to our
many friends who contributed to the Glaucoma Service Foundation
in 2006. The Foundation received 1,764 gifts totaling $654,551.00
to support the research, education, and outreach programs we offer.
In addition, many individuals contributed their time and/or expertise
to help the Foundation make a difference in the fight against
glaucoma. With your help, we will continue to raise awareness,
support vital research, and train future leaders in field of glaucoma.
(Download
PDF to view donor list)
Thank You Again For Your Extraordinary Generosity!
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Stephen Harmelin, Esq.
Chairman
George L. Spaeth, MD
President
Richard P. Wilson, MD
Secretary/Treasurer
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Judge Phyllis Beck
Charlotte Bonmartini
Francesco Bonmartini
Megan Brunner
Bonnie Carr Long
Louis Esposito
Jeffrey Henderer, MD
Thomas Henderer, Esq.
L. Jay Katz, MD
James Kim
Zeff Lazinger, DC
Hyman Lovitz, Esq.
Andrew Medcalf, PhD
Jonathan Myers, MD
Leonard Rosenfeld, PhD
Irvin Schorsch
George Strimel
Tricia Thomas, MD
Chris Urban
Joseph Watson |
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