‘Student Sight Savers’ Team with Dr. Brent Bond to Fight Glaucoma by Susan deGuzman
Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in our country. Hopefully that statistic is changing for those living in Forsyth County through the efforts of J. Brent Bond, MD of the Eye Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and medical students at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
The Student Sight Savers Program (SSSP) is a product of the Friends of the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation, Inc. (FCGCF), which is comprised of United States Congress members dedicated to fighting glaucoma and other eye diseases. The program enables medical students and ophthalmologists to work together to provide free screenings in high risk population groups.
Toby Horn ((MS 2009) administers a screening during one of the Student Sight Savers Programs. Luke Bradbury (MS 2008) and Malachi Courtney (MS 2009) also volunteered at the screening held last January at Marketplace Mall in Winston-Salem. Photo by Shatima Seward.
Those at high risk for glaucoma are typically over 40 years of age, have a family history of the disease, have diabetes or hypertension, are very nearsighted, or have had previous eye injuries. African-Americans are six times more likely to be afflicted than are Caucasians, and increased incidences have also been found among Hispanics.
Glaucoma is the name of a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve and can lead to blindness. It is referred to as ‘the silent thief of vision’ since there are few, if any, symptoms other than a very gradual loss of peripheral vision. Of the more than three million Americans that are affected by glaucoma each year, 62% are unaware of their condition. If detected early, however, it seldom results in blindness. Glaucoma screenings can make the difference.
The SSSP was first conceived in the early 1990s at the University of Michigan Medical School. The template for the program was initiated in 2001 at the University of Maryland. It has now expanded to 46 medical schools throughout the country.
LaKrystal Warren, now a fourth year medical student, and Dr. Bond started the program at Wake Forest University in 2004. Warren learned about it while attending a conference of the Student National Medical Association in New Orleans. The conference representative referred her to Dr. Bond, who is an expert in the field of glaucoma and who enthusiastically agreed to be the advisor. Warren followed steps to apply for a grant from the FCGCF, which she explains she did on behalf of the medical student organization. At the time she was between her first and second years of medical school and was co-president of the student organization.
“This is something that I started and that I have passed down to successive medical school classes,” explains Warren. “It was really serendipitous that I learned about the program and that Dr. Bond wanted to help. It wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without Dr. Bond.”
A detailed procedure manual that outlines how to organize and conduct the screenings is provided for each school that participates in the SSSP. The manual teaches students about eye diseases, outlines the equipment that is needed and how to use it, how to read the results, and also gives practical advice about patient relations, such as cultural sensitivity and patient privacy.
“It is easy to get volunteers because all the students like to participate,” explains Shatima Seward, who is the current community service coordinator for the Student National Medical Association at Wake Forest, and in this role now coordinates the SSSP. One of the objectives of the program is to channel the energy of the young students and provide them hands-on experience with patients, as well as to expose them to issues of eye care.
Seward explains that while all medical students are encouraged to participate in the screenings, those beginning their second year are targeted since they spend all of their time in the
classroom and are likely to be eager to interact with patients. While Seward will soon hand the reigns over to the next coordinator, she says, “I will still participate in the screenings whenever
they don’t conflict with my rotations.”
The screenings are usually held on a weekend morning in a four to five-hour time span. At least seven students work each two-hour shift. Students process intake paperwork and administer tests for visual acuity, peripheral vision, and intraocular pressure. In the final step the ophthalmologist reads the test results and examines the patient to determine if follow-up is needed. Warren says that in a typical four-hour screening, 30-40 patients will be seen and of those, approximately five or six are identified
for referral for further evaluation.
Screenings in the Winston-Salem area have been held on average once every two months. The locations have included Best Health at Hanes Mall, during the ‘Share the Health’ Fair at Marketplace Mall, on ‘Women’s Health Day’ at Winston-Salem State University, and at various churches.
Dr. Bond has helped with all of the screenings since the program’s inception, according to Warren. She adds, “I have learned a lot about ophthalmology from Dr. Bond, and we have been fortunate that he has been so available to us.” Seward also commented, “Dr. Bond is really easy to work with. He loves what he does and loves working with us.”
According to Bond, “Our medical students at Wake Forest are so bright and so enthusiastic about health care, it energizes me to work with them on these weekend community screenings. The Student Sight Savers Program does a wonderful job reaching out within the xommunity to try to bring glaucoma care to those who otherwise may not access the healthcare system. You know, it’s programs like this, and like the various programs and services supported by our North Carolina Lions Clubs, that make all the difference in the world for so many of our neighbors who have eye disease and who otherwise may not get care.”
More information about the Student Sight Savers Program and the FCGCF can be found at www.glaucomacongress.org. |