According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 3 million Americans currently live with glaucoma, and roughly 80 million people worldwide are also affected by the disease. Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, and while there is no cure, its impact can be significantly reduced with early intervention.
The problem, however, is that the signs are subtle. Glaucoma is difficult to diagnose in any context and can be asymptomatic until late in the disease course. This presents serious challenges in the developing world where resources to treat the condition are often insufficient in both quality and availability.
“It humbles you to realize we have a long way to go towards stopping preventable blindness and ensuring access to more treatments for people who really need it like glaucoma patients progressing rapidly,” says Dr. I. Paul Singh, president of The Eye Centers of Racine and Kenosha in Wisconsin. “There are a lot of people out there who don’t appreciate the value of early intervention in preventing blindness.”
COMMITMENT TO INNOVATION
Dr. Singh is a winner of Newsweek’s America’s Best Eye Doctor award for the last 3 years and has consistently focused on innovation and adopting new technology to treat glaucoma. He was the first surgeon in Wisconsin to perform minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS), including the iStent (Glaukos), Hydrus (Alcon) and Kahook Dual Blade goniotomy (New World Medical).
“Glaucoma patients are being caught too late. That’s why I became an early adopter of new technology; I got frustrated with relying on patients to do the work to stabilize their condition,” Dr. Singh says.
“When I travel to countries that don’t have enough resources to treat glaucoma, like Armenia, we’re able to provide drug delivery, laser, MIGS and minimally invasive bleb surgery (MIBS). We truly can address glaucoma earlier, minimize adherence issues, and do it safely, thanks to the collaborative world we live in.”
TEACHING TECHNOLOGY ABROAD
During a recent trip to Armenia, Dr. Singh helped local clinicians reduce their patients’ IOP via novel drug delivery technologies, laser treatment, and by utilizing MIGS and MIBS. Among these treatments, he worked with Armenian doctors to implant the iDose (Glaukos), a long-duration, intracameral procedural pharmaceutical therapy, in cataract patients. The country’s medical system is severely underfunded and has been affected by recent conflicts with its neighbor Azerbaijan, making the support provided by doctors like Dr. Singh invaluable.
In his work both abroad and in the United States, Dr. Singh has become a major proponent of another glaucoma-focused acronym: minimally invasive micro sclerostomy (MIMS, Sanoculis), which is designed to lower IOP without intraocular surgery. It works the same way as a trabeculectomy but the company and Dr. Singh report it can do so with less tissue damage.
A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
By using these technologies, Dr. Singh hopes to ensure that fewer people lose their sight to glaucoma and other conditions like diabetic retinopathy. He plans to visit other countries, including Panama, to support local doctors as they treat glaucoma and help more patients before it’s too late to save their sight.
“Due to globalization, there are greater opportunities for collaborating in health care and ophthalmology than ever before. This promotes better care, better technology and better access to treatment,” Dr. Singh says.
‘ONE FAMILY, MANY CHILDREN’
In the meantime, before his next trip to treat glaucoma patients, Dr. Singh has time to look forward to playing in his band Funkadesi, which mixes Indo-Afro-Caribbean music. Much like his outlook on globalized health care, his band aims to promote culture and education with the mantra “one family, many children.”
“I know that sounds cheesy, but it just reminds you of why we do what we do; it’s great to see international cooperation between doctors,” Dr. Singh says. OM
