At the 2017 meeting of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Dr. Alex Levin, pediatric ophthalmologist at Wills Eye Hospital, pointed out that there are only 70-80 ocular geneticists in the world. Dr. Levin himself is one, and so am I. Having completed a year of inherited eye disease fellowship at the University of Iowa with experts like Dr. Edwin Stone, in addition to working as a comprehensive pediatric ophthalmologist and taking care of every type of childhood eye problem, I now dedicate part of my practice to patients with rare, blinding diseases of childhood. I'm happy to be able to offer this service to the region, as area patients formerly had to go to Seattle or Portland to receive this specialty care.
At the Spokane Eye Clinic, my pediatric inherited eye disease clinic takes place once each month, and they are some of my favorite days of work. I schedule just a few patients that day, so that each patient can receive the same high-quality, comprehensive care that I learned to provide in fellowship.
The evaluation begins even before the patients arrive, with a review of the medical record from the patient's referring eye doctor. I read and assess the available information and develop an individualized plan for each patient's visit. Upon arrival, a member of our team initiates the eye exam, and then I visit with each family and take a thorough history, focusing on when the first symptoms began, what they were, how they have changed over time, any prior diagnoses that have been made or genetic testing that has been done, the family history, and several other points.