on the net
Site offers information on seniors' eye problems

In our 5 years of featuring numerous ophthalmology-related Web sites in this column, the story behind www.therubins.com might be the most interesting of all.

Therubins.com is a totally independent, informational site that was created several years ago by brothers Harold and Allan Rubin to both honor their mother's memory and to provide useful information for senior citizens.

Harold, a psychotherapist, and Allan, a financial analyst, are well into their senior years themselves, but they both work full time in New York City, and also research and write the material for their Web site.

"Our original purpose was to help families find good nursing homes for aging parents," says Harold. "We had done a lot of research on the subject when it came time to find a facility for our mother and we wanted to share it on a Web site."

Information on nursing homes was eventually expanded to include a multitude of subjects of interest to seniors, and recently the brothers added a section dealing exclusively with eye problems associated with aging. This patient-oriented section currently includes regularly updated information on presbyopia, cataracts, glaucoma, AMD and refractive lens exchange.

"We research and write almost all of the articles that appear on the site, with the exception of those articles that have been written for us by acknowledged experts in a specific field," says Harold. "We accept no advertising. The popularity of the site has grown purely through word-of-mouth."

The brothers are very prolific writers, adding several new articles a week on issues relevant to seniors, and also updating existing information as new developments occur.

"We're just amazed that the site has recorded more than a million hits already," says Harold. "People are always e-mailing us questions. Sometimes it's a specific question and other times they request that we write an article that covers a certain topic. It's been very rewarding for us to help people and provide them with good, sound information."

Visit: www.therubins.com

If you've discovered a Web site or service that's been useful to you in practice or at home, we'd like to know about it. E-mail Jerry Helzner at helznergi@boucher1.com or call him at (215) 643-8013.