“We wanted to add someone to our practice who could serve
our retina patients with problems such as macular degeneration and diabetic
retinopathy,” says William J. Mallon, MD, a board-certified ophthalmologist and
fellowship-trained ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgeon at the Center
for Advanced Eye Care in Vero Beach. “Fortunately, Adam M. Katz, a board-certified
ophthalmologist with a double fellowship in retina care and ten years of
clinical experience, has agreed to fill that position.”
Dr. Mallon says he has known Dr. Katz for almost twelve
years: “I was completing my residency and fellowship in Memphis, Tennessee
while Dr. Katz was completing a two-year retina fellowship in Memphis under
world-renowned retina surgeon Steve Charles, MD. I had the opportunity to get
to know him well, and have always had the highest regard for both his character
and his patient care philosophy.”
“Of course, I’ve only recently met Dr. Katz,” observes
board-certified ophthalmologist Diana L. Burton, MD, “but I am already excited
about working with him. It’s apparent that we have a similar approach to our
practices; we are all extremely patient oriented. We never want our patients to
feel that they are being rushed in any way.”
“We try to care for every patient as though he or she is
our only patient that day,” agrees Dr. Mallon. “We give them as much time as
they need.”
“I have a huge amount of respect for Dr. Mallon both as a
person and as a physician,” says Dr. Katz. “I’m very much looking forward to
joining him and Drs. Burton and Schnell in practicing medicine.”
In light of Dr. Katz’s expertise in the retina field,
Florida Health Care News
turns to him to
learn more about macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
FAQs
Q. Dr. Katz, let’s begin with age-related macular
degeneration. What is it exactly?
A. Age-related macular degeneration is basically a
degeneration of the cells that are located in the central retina of the eye,
which is known as the
macula
. There
is a genetic component to it, so it does run in families. It is the most common
cause of severe vision loss in people over the age of fifty. In fact, over eight
million people in the US alone have some form of the disease.
Q. I understand there are two types of macular
degeneration. Would you explain?
A. Ninety percent of patients who have macular
degeneration have the dry type, which is the less severe form. The other ten
percent of people will have the more advanced wet form. The wet form implies
the growth of abnormal blood vessels, which leak blood and fluid under the
retina.
Q. What are the signs and symptoms of macular
degeneration?
A. Typically, the earlier symptoms are distortion or
cloudiness of central vision. It is important to note, however, that macular
degeneration does
not
cause complete
blindness. It affects the central ten percent of vision, leaving the other
ninety percent intact. Therefore, while patients may potentially lose the
vision they use for reading, driving, or seeing someone’s face, they will still
be able to navigate – get dressed, cook, take care of themselves – even in the
worst-case scenario.
Q. Is there a benefit to early diagnosis?
A. Absolutely. If we detect the dry form early, we can
start a patient on vitamins and regular eye exams in order to detect any
conversions to the wet form. We know that patients who are treated early for
the wet form do better than those with delayed diagnosis. Additionally, once a
scar forms on the back of the macula, there is no treatment available.
Q. Is there a treatment for the wet form?
A. Fortunately, there is a new treatment that, for the
first time, has produced vision improvement for forty percent of patients. The
two injectable medications involved are Lucentis and Avastin. It is a real
breakthrough; it’s fantastic to be practicing now as opposed to just five years
ago.
Q. What about for dry macular degeneration?
A. While there is no definitive treatment for the dry
type, we focus on slowing its progression and preventing its conversion into
the wet form by prescribing AREDS [Age Related Eye Disease Study] vitamins.
This is a multi-vitamin formulation made up of vitamins A, C, E, zinc, and copper,
and it has been shown to slow the progression of macular degeneration by
twenty-five percent.
Q. I would like to switch gears a little bit now and
discuss diabetic retinopathy.
A. Diabetic retinopathy refers to damage to the normal
blood vessels in the retina and is the leading cause of new cases of legal
blindness among working-age Americans. It is estimated that over eighteen
million people in the US have diabetes mellitus, and that number is one hundred
twenty million worldwide. Unfortunately, approximately half of these people
have not been diagnosed and are unaware they have the condition. The risk of
diabetic retinopathy increases with time for patients with diabetes.
Q. What are the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy?
A. The earliest signs are microaneurysms that can leak
fluid. When the fluid leaks out of these aneurysms, it can leak into the
macula, which causes
macular edema
,
and it can lead to blurred vision.
However, patients with diabetic retinopathy may have twenty-twenty
vision for quite some time, so even patients with seemingly perfect vision may
need treatment. That is why a dilated eye exam is critical.
Q. Is there a treatment for macular edema?
A. We can use a laser to stabilize vision, but for most
patients it will not improve vision. So the message is clear: don’t wait until
vision has diminished.
The official recommendation guideline for anyone who is
newly diagnosed with diabetes includes having a dilated eye exam to check for
diabetic retinopathy.
Q. Is there anything else diabetic patients can do to
protect their eyesight?
A. The most important thing they can do is to tightly
control their blood sugar. Countless studies have shown that the better
patients control their blood sugars, the better off they are going to be.