May 3, 2007
Contact:
Lourdes Rodriguez-Barrera
Nova Southeastern University
Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5309
954-445-1287
NSU Professor of Optometry Among National Experts to Speak
On Keratoconus – May 8
Free Seminar Offers Patients Forum for Education, Latest Research
FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, FL -A free Keratoconus Patient Education Seminar will take place on Tuesday, May 8 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Marriot Courtyard Hotel – 14500 S.W. Hotel Road in Miramar. The seminar is free and open to the public but reservations are required.
Dr. Heidi Wagner, O.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.O., the principal investigator of the Nova Southeastern CLEK (Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Keratoconus) Participating Clinic, and an Associate Professor of Optometry at NSU. Dr. Wagner will be featured along with other national and international experts in the field of Keratoconus. The seminar is designed to bring patients together, provide them educational materials and to provide patients with a vehicle to share information and experiences. To RSVP, or for additional information, please call 305 264-4400 or email: ED@BOSHNICK.COM
Keratoconus, also referred to as KC, is a disease of the vision characterized by the progressive thinning and steepening of the central cornea of the eye. Patients with this disease experience a considerable amount of distortion and ghosting of the vision. What is particularly devastating is that one in 2000 individuals, ranging in ages from adolescent to early 20s, are diagnosed each year with KC.
It is a progressively debilitating disease and a costly one in that KC can not be corrected or managed with eyeglasses. KC can only be managed with (RGP) rigid gas permeable hard contact lenses, which allows for oxygen to get to the cornea. These specialized lenses are costly and at often times need to be replaced two to three times a year because of the progressive nature of the disease. The cost of the lenses ranges between $300 to $400 and depends upon the extreme nature of the condition per patient. In 80 percent of cases, vision and health insurance companies will not reimburse or help pay for these lenses, according to Catherine Warren, RN and Executive Director of the National Keratoconus Foundation (NKFC).
Additionally, most patients eventually require a cornea transplant to correct the problem.
“It’s a frightening thought for parents and their adolescents because often times they are at a loss as to whom they should turn to for medical help,” said Roni Leiderman, Associate Dean of NSU’s Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Studies. “For me, it hit home as I contacted 52 doctors throughout the country in a matter of three weeks to get my son diagnosed as well as get educated on the disease and find a plan of action.” Leiderman is the founder of the Friends of Vision, a fundraising arm of the Discovery Eye Foundation, (www.discoveryeye.org). This not for profit organization is the umbrella organization for the National Keratoconus Foundation (NKCF). The NKCF is dedicated to increasing the awareness and understanding of keratoconus and the support of scientific research into the cause and treatment of keratoconus. The NKCF also provides several resources, educational programs and referrals for patients who are afflicted with this disease.
Leiderman, together with Dr. Heidi Wagner, O.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.O. an Associate Professor of Optometry at Nova Southeastern University; Dr. Edward Boshnick, O.D.,F.A.A.O.who operates an Optometric Practice in Coral Gables as well as experts from out of town will be onhand on Tuesday, May 8, for a free patient education seminar on KC. The event is being held in conjunction with the International ARVO (Association for Research in Vision and Opthamology) Meeting being held in Fort Lauderdale. This allows NKCF to invite experts from out of town in the field of Keratoconus research to present at the educational seminar.
“It has been my experience that the majority of eye care practitioners and keratoconus patients have a very poor handle on this condition and how best to treat it, said Dr. Boshnick. “Many patients feel that their eyes will get continually worse and eventually go blind or need a corneal transplant. Many patients go from doctor to doctor seeking that magic lens or procedure that will restore their vision and comfort. In addition, false and misleading information on the internet and elsewhere have led to disastrous consequences for many kc patients. In addition to all of this, most keratoconus patients have never met another keratoconus patient. This educational seminar is designed as an educational forum where no one has anything to sell to these patients but only impartial information.”
For those not able to attend, please visit the National Keratoconus Foundation at www.nkcf.org or call 1-800-521-2524.
