Systemic Treatments

April 20, 2011

Since opening its doors in 2001, Retina Institute of Hawaii has worked hard to become the leader in treating sight-threatening diseases throughout the Pacific region. Being a leader requires passion and commitment, and from day one we’ve served as an enthusiastic incubator for clinical trials and new technology.

According to Moore’s law, technology doubles every 12–18 months. As technology expands, so, too, do our treatment options. Today, we offer patients cutting-edge treatments for diseases of the retina and vitreous, including retinal diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and detachment, as well as many other complex ocular conditions.

Leaders also inspire others. At RIH, we’ve made it a priority to foster the next generation of retina specialists, teaching fellows, residents and medical students in order to disseminate knowledge and give back to the medical community at large.

A World Leader

From our office in the middle of the Pacific, RIH is now recognized as one of the world’s foremost retina clinics, seeing patients from around the globe.

In just nine years, we have become one of the largest centers in the country and a world leader in research and clinical trials.

We design FDA-approved protocols to evaluate new treatments and reach out to the community with education. We also helped create the nationally recognized Pacific Alliance of Retinal Specialists (PARS), a research consortium with retina specialists in Hawaii, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Sacramento and Phoenix.

Neighbor Island Outreach

All of us at RIH believe in giving back to our community, not only on Oahu, but throughout Hawaii. We maintain offices in Kailua-Kona and Hilo on the Big Island, and in Kahului on Maui, visiting these offices each week.

We also give back through our nonprofit, Project VISION, our mobile vision screening unit, as well as through alliances with community-awareness groups like the Lions Club and American Diabetes Association. The gift of sight is priceless, and we’re working diligently to preserve this gift for patients throughout the islands.

The Eye And Systemic Disease

In many cases, patients will visit their primary care doctor or optometrist, who will then refer their patient to us if they suspect a retinal problem. This network of referring doctors is an invaluable asset. They can sometimes make the difference between a patient losing his or her sight, or saving it, or preventing even more serious health complications. They can even save lives.

Educating patients is a top priority for us. Using innovative imaging technology, we’re able to discuss the cause of their vision loss and counsel them and their families about the available treatment options. Often, we’re examining not just the eye but the entire person. That’s because many of the diseases we encounter are the result of a more systemic problem, such as diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetes. Getting their diabetes under control is critical to their health.

We may also discover an eye problem that is a symptom of an undiagnosed illness. When that happens, we may send our patient back to his or her primary care physician for proper diagnosis and treatment. Our referral network works well because it works both ways.

While our retinal specialists at RIH treat the problems in the eyes, the referring physician or medical specialist will treat the underlying disease.

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