Profiles in Practice Success
On the Cutting Edge
This retina specialist offers his patients hope with the latest technology.

THE PRACTICE: Bert M. Glaser, M.D., co-owns the Glaser Murphy Retina Treatment Centers with Robert P. Murphy, M.D.

LOCATIONS: Glaser Murphy's primary locations are in Towson and Chevy Chase, Md. (a suburb of Washington, D.C.). The practice has an additional site at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore.

Bert M. Glaser, M.D., is a fellow of the Gonin Society.

PRACTICE HISTORY: Dr. Glaser and Dr. Murphy were both ophthalmology professors at the Wilmer Eye Institute. In 1989, they founded the Glaser Murphy Center. "The goal in forming our partnership was to create the foremost retinal research and treatment center in the nation," says Dr. Glaser.

PRACTICE SUMMARY: Glaser Murphy employs about 30 people, including ophthalmology fellows, technicians, photographers and a clinical support staff.

The practice operates a research center for the examination of new retinal treatment methods. The research center has led investigations in more than 50 surgical and nonsurgical clinical studies.

SURGICAL FOCUS: All of Dr. Glaser's patients are retina cases. He's treated patients who have traveled from as far away as Turkey, Pakistan, Germany and Costa Rica.

Dr. Glaser treats numerous retinal disorders, including retinal detachments, macular holes, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

To treat AMD, Dr. Glaser uses such techniques as macular translocation, feeder vessel treatment, transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT), and photodynamic therapy with cold lasers. The use of cold lasers enables Dr. Glaser to treat patients in his office.

PREFERRED INSTRUMENTS: Dr. Glaser says, "Our preferred diagnostic instrument for wet macular degeneration is the Heidelberg Retina Angio-graph because it allows us to best detect feeder vessels."

The practice also uses indocyanine green (ICG) to identify and peel the internal limiting membrane in eyes with macular holes.

GROWTH AREAS: "We've seen tremendous growth in the number of cases of AMD that we've treated," says Dr. Glaser. "There have been many advancements within the past few years that have fueled this growth."

One advancement is feeder vessel therapy, used to treat wet AMD.

Feeder vessel therapy uses high-speed ICG angiography. This technology acquires rapid sequence images that pinpoint the abnormal blood vessels leaking under the patient's retina. To seal the leaking vessels, Dr. Glaser targets microlaser applications to one (or several) individual feeder vessels as small as 50 microns.

Feeder vessel therapy can slow or stop vision loss and -- in some cases -- may improve vision.

SLOW SPOTS: Dr. Glaser says, "We've experienced a decrease in the number of retinal detachments following cataract extraction due to improved surgical techniques. Additionally, we're seeing fewer diabetic vitrectomies due to earlier detection and laser treatment."

MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY: "My management philosophy is twofold.

"First, I aspire to formulate and communicate the vision and core values of the practice, so my staff empower themselves to carry out their jobs in a manner that supports and enhances these values.

"Second, I'm committed to our patients. This commitment has been our driving force, and has mandated that we stay on the cutting edge. We aim to provide our patients with hope, compassion and the most current technology."