ANSWERING AN URGENT NEED

One ophthalmologist’s journey to deliver supplies into Ukraine

BY JULIE GREENBAUM, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Emil William Chynn, MD, FACS, MBA, of Park Avenue LASEK in New York, is not a stranger to Ukraine. His love for the country, its culture and its people began 15 years ago when he first went there on a social visit. Since then, Dr. Chynn has visited and lectured as a medical volunteer in every major Ukrainian city and donated the first corneal cross-linking machine to treat keratoconus in Lviv.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Dr. Chynn immediately reached out to his friends and colleagues there to see what he could do.

“A friend who is involved with the supply efforts for the front told me that they were in urgent need of BleedStop, a blood coagulant that stops the bleeding for large bleeding wounds,” says Dr. Chynn. “That was when I decided to bring some of those supplies into Ukraine.”

Dr. Chynn contacted CoAg Medical, the manufacturer of BleedStop, which agreed to sell the product to him at $1 per unit (regularly wholesaled at $5, retailed at $10 and retailed at $20 in Ukraine). He bought 5,000 units with his own money and organized the shipping effort.

WHEN THINGS DON’T GO AS PLANNED

At first, Dr. Chynn was going to ship the units of BleedStop to Warsaw since Poland is the staging area. “But our plans changed when a Ukrainian friend said that products were getting stuck at the border or they were diverted or stolen,” he says. “She told me that if I wanted to get it where it needed to go, I would have to bring it in personally. That wasn’t exactly my plan.”

Dr. Chynn’s webmaster Andriy volunteered to help him deliver the products into Ukraine. Since there were no flights into the country, they would need to drive the product there themselves, which was a 5-hour drive from Warsaw (not including a 12-hour border crossing).

With some help from the Polish guard at the border and with a bit of hitchhiking, Dr. Chynn was able to get to Lutsk as planned.

“The Mayor of Lutsk was grateful to see the first American in person coming to donate supplies,” says Dr. Chynn. “He told me that they were in need of a lot of supplies since they are getting stuck at the Polish border. So I promised to help.”

SAVING LIVES

After dropping off the units to the volunteer organization in Lutsk, Dr. Chynn went to Lviv. Just prior to arriving, five rockets had hit the train station. “You just don’t understand what it’s like living in a warzone; it affects your mentality, your psychology,” says Dr. Chynn.

While in Lviv, Dr. Chynn met a Ukranian eye surgeon who travels to eastern Ukraine to perform emergency trauma surgery. “Many people don’t think about this, but a lot of the trauma is eye trauma because of the shrapnel in the eye,” says Dr. Chynn.

While going into Ukraine to deliver the supplies may not have been part of Dr. Chynn’s original plan, he says that if he can save at least one life, that would have made his trip absolutely worth it. “When I was dropping off the supplies in Lutsk, I told one of the volunteers that I was doing this because I wanted to help save lives. He said to me, ‘By donating 5,000 units, you are already helping to save many lives.’ This is one of the most meaningful things I have done in my life — along with being the first doctor to volunteer at ground zero on 9/11 and helping thousands of people see after LASIK, PRK, SMILE and LASEK,” he concludes.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Dr. Chynn spoke with ophthalmologists in Ukraine who need used equipment, including phaco machines, vitrectomy machines and portable operating room microscopes, as well as surgical instruments. If you would like to donate, please email Dr. Chynn at dr@ParkAvenueLASEK.com

In addition, Park Avenue LASEK is trying to hire a Ukrainian ophthalmologist for its fellowship program. The fellowship is opened to a displaced Ukrainian ophthalmologist. If you are interested or know someone who is, please contact Dr. Chynn at +1-212-691-4221 (WhatsApp or SMS) for more information. OM

WHAT’S NEW IN CORNEA

Avellino Labs announced full availability in the United States of genetic eye test AvaGen, the first genetic test that helps determine a patient’s risk of keratoconus and the presence of other corneal dystrophies. The test is designed to provide keratoconus patients with an earlier benefit from FDA-approved cross-linking treatment, which can halt disease progression and preserve vision. The AvaGen genetic test examines 75 keratoconus-related genes and more than 2,000 variants of those genes to develop an actionable keratoconus genetic risk score.

CorneaGen introduced the EndoSerter-PL, an FDA approved, single-use graft insertion device that is preloaded with processed NanoThin or Ultra-Thin DSEK tissue. The EndoSerter-PL is designed to allow consistent allograft positioning, simplifies the procedure, thus maximizing OR efficiency and reduces endothelium manipulation in the OR.

Santen received FDA approval for Verkazia (cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion) 0.1% eyedrops for the treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) in children and adults. VKC is a rare and recurrent allergic eye condition, most common in children and adolescents, that causes severe inflammation of the surface of the eye. The symptoms of VKC — intense itching, painful eyes and light sensitivity — can prevent those affected from participating in everyday activities. Without adequate treatment, severe cases may result in corneal ulcers and vision loss.

Ziemer USA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ziemer AG, manufacturer and developer of FEMTO laser technology (FEMTO LDV Z8) and corneal diagnostic equipment (Galilei G4/G6), announced a partnership with CorneaGen. Through their combined development efforts, the companies plan to bring advanced applications that will permit the Z8 to perform novel treatments in corneal therapeutics.

Luneau Technology launched the Visionix VX650 ocular measuring device with retinal screening. With the push of a button, the operator of the Visionix VX650 can retrieve screening data on the entire anterior and posterior eye segments to identify and detect the early signs of cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal and corneal pathologies.