New Genetic Counselor Starts Work
The new genetic counselor, Tiffany Grider, comes to us from St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan, N.Y. She will work in the Pediatric Ophthalmology Service during Dr. Drack's clinic times and at the Carver Nonprofit Genetic Testing Laboratory (Molecular Ophthalmology Lab) the rest of the time. (https://www.carverlab.org/)
Library Facelift Nearly Complete
The O'Brien Library has been undergoing some renovations for the past week and a half. The process is nearly complete; the computers are back in place, the new furniture has arrived, the partitions have been rearranged and the dust has almost settled. There are still a number of items sitting in aisles waiting to be sent to storage or surplus, but the room is usable and looks much better now. (It is also much quieter than it was earlier this week.)
National Eye Institute Declares Healthy Vision Month
The National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has designated May 2010 as the eighth annual “Healthy Vision Month.”
During this month, community organizations and Americans are encouraged to pursue and maintain vision health. This year’s theme is “Your Eyes are the Windows to Your Health,” focusing on the importance of receiving eye exams to maintain good eye health and sense of sight.
According to NEI, it is estimated that 14 million Americans are visually impaired; nearly 11 million Americans have refractive errors that could be diagnosed through eye exams and corrected with glasses or contact lenses.
For additional information on Health Vision Month, please visit NEI’s website.
Happy 10th Anniversary Iowa KidSight!
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| Ellen from Council Bluffs, IA appreciates your good work! |
Happy 10th Anniversary Iowa KidSight!
On May 20, 2000, the Iowa City Host Lions Club provided the very first vision screening at a local daycare center. Since that historic moment in time, more than 171,433 children have received a free screening at over 11,309 screening sessions conducted throughout Iowa. Because the service was extended, 7432 children were identified as requiring referral to an eye care professional.
A special “thank you” to Wanda Pfeifer for interpreting (many) more than 171,433 photographs during the past decade and also to Wanda, Dr. Bill Scott, and Pat Mason for the work accomplished in organizing the vision-screening program a decade ago. Incredible, the number of tasks accomplished and people pitching in to get the Program to the current point of serving over 30,000 children per year.
Congratulations to everyone in the Department who has contributed to ten years of promoting better vision for our Iowa kids!
The UI Honors Eye Donors in Ceremony (Press-Citizen, May 21)
The UI held its annual spring dedication ceremony for the Iowa Lions Donor Memorial and Healing Garden on May 20th. Located in front of the main entrance of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, the garden was dedicated in October 2006 to remember those who donated their organs, particularly eyes, for use in transplants. Read the full story at www.press-citizen.com/article/20100521/NEWS01/5210304/1079/Dedication-recognizes-legacy-of-donors
Abramoff Team Studies Retinopathy Algorithm (Modern Medicine, May 20)
A new automated detection algorithm appears to be as effective at detecting diabetic retinopathy as an established algorithm used in a large early-detection project, according to a study published online April 16 in the journal Ophthalmology. Michael D. Abramoff and his colleagues performed a study in which a single retina expert analyzed two images from each eye of 16,670 individuals with diabetes who were not previously diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy. Full story at Modern Medicine Web site.
Reference: Abràmoff MD, Reinhardt JM, Russell SR, Folk JC, Mahajan VB, Niemeijer M, Quellec G. Automated Early Detection of Diabetic Retinopathy. Ophthalmology. 2010 Apr 15. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 20399502
Marlys' Retirement Party
Marlys Bartling's official retirement date is June 1. Marlys has worked for the Department since 1967 in many secretarial capacities, including secretary to Dr. Fred Blodi while he was Department Head. She has has been the proof reader for the Ophthalmology Update for many years which has kept Trish from looking like an illiterate in print. The enitre Update staff is grateful for her years of service and will miss her.
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Help Wanted: A Good Eye for Typos and a Knack for Grammar and Spelling
The Update is losing its star proofreader. Please email Trish (trish-duffel@uiowa.edu) if you are interested in helping out with the production of the Update.
Renai Ray Truly Retires This Time
Renai Ray retired in January, but kindly agreed to work part time until our new genetic counselor started. Renai’s “real” retirement will begin on June 10. Renai has had numerous personal stresses over the past couple of months. Her father died, her husband was in a serious motorcycle accident, and her daughter had premie twins who are in the UIHC NICU.
We all wish her the very best and that today begins a more relaxing and happy time than she has been experiencing for the first few month of her "retirement."
Message from Dori Dykhuisen:
I want to thank everyone for all of the wonderful love and support you have shown in regards to my niece Amanda. Many of you participated in the fundraiser: “Amanda’s Bracelets” and we were able to raise quite a bit of money for the family.
Amanda went to be with the Lord on Friday, May 14th. The visitation was held on Sunday and thousands of people came to say good-bye to this girl who touched so many lives. The service was held on Monday in the afternoon and was beautifully done. After the service, we traveled about an hour away to the place Amanda picked to be buried. She was buried beside a tall oak tree and when you stand and listen you can hear the stream running just behind the tree line.
There is a pamphlet on the front desk in Retina created by her school for the service if anyone would like to stop and read it. It was very beautifully done and would have brought a smile to Amanda’s face.
Again, I thank you all for the thoughts, prayers and support.
Thank you again for being my second family,
Dori Dykhuizen
Ganschow Wins in State Track Meet
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Clear Creek Amana's Jared Ganschow (right), son of Retina's Nan Ganschow, races down the stretch to win his heat in the Class 3A Boys 400 meter, at the State Track Meet, Thursday, May 20, 2010, at Drake Stadium, in Des Moines, Iowa. |
Graduation Is Sooner Than You Think
ATTENTION: Family Members of Local Graduates
If you would like a family member to be included in this year’s Graduate supplement please send the information to Trish Duffel (trish-duffel@uiowa.edu). Please include your graduate’s name, your relationship to the graduate, where they are graduating from, what their plans are for the future (Going on to college? Where and what major if known. Taking a job somewhere? Where? etc.) ALSO, please send Trish a jpeg image or loan her a photo of your graduate to scan. (She promises to return it). See last year’s supplement.
Deadline extended to June 7.
Ophthalmology Update on Hiatus. Library Service Limited. Web Revisions on Hold
Thursday, May 27 through Friday, June 4
Trish will be away from work starting on Thursday, May 27th. Her first day back to work will be Monday, June 7. This will be the last Update until June 11 (unless someone would like to do it during this time).
Rita will be taking care of Library Services. Please contact her via email for article and search requests during this time (rita-gallo@uiowa.edu).
UI Optical FYI
This is a regular column by the UI Optical opticians designed to provide you with answer to questions routinely asked by our patients. If you have specific questions you would like to see answered in this column, please forward your questions to trish-duffel@uiowa.edu and then look for the answer in the weeks to come.
When there is a doctor’s change in spectacle lens power marked as "no charge", the original lenses must be returned to the lab to get credit for the remake. If your patient wishes to retain the old lenses, the cost is 50% of the original price for the lenses.