Glaucoma Center of San Francisco celebrates successful first year (08/13/06)

Glaucoma Center of San Francisco celebrates successful first year

by Margaret Perrone

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco has long been the quintessential melting pot. People from around the world come and find acceptance and success. Celebrating its first anniversary, the Glaucoma Center of San Francisco could be thought of as a microcosm of the city itself.

Glaucoma is most common in those age 55 or older, but can strike at any age - affecting even children and newborns. Several of the Glaucoma Center's doctors are world-renowned educators and researchers. Doctors and their staff at the center speak Ukrainian, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese and Cantonese, as well as English, to serve a vast population, many of whom fly in from around the country and around the world for their care.

"We have quite a few Ukrainian patients. We attract them, since three of us on staff speak the language," said Dr. Martha Klufas, an optometrist at the Glaucoma Center. She adds, "Eastern Europeans have an increased incidence of a certain type of glaucoma," making care by a glaucomatologist, who specializes in this difficult disease, desirable.

"Pseudoexfoliative glaucoma is endemic in Ukrainians," added Dr. Andrew Iwach, an expert in treating these conditions.

Bearing in mind the diversity of their patients, the Glaucoma Center lobby can be transformed from a showcase for classic movies that put an older clientele at ease to programming for children or non-English speakers utilizing flat-screen televisions. Exam rooms are large enough to accommodate patients with mobility limitations, such as those in wheelchairs, and examination equipment is adaptable so that these patients do not need to leave their chairs for the duration of the appointment.

Designed down to the smallest detail to maximize patient comfort and convenience, the Glaucoma Center has melded the best of 1900s San Francisco architecture with today's technological innovation. Entertainment and business opportunities abound in the newly revitalized South of Market area, and the Glaucoma Center adds another dimension by including a stop for eye health care.

Dr. Iwach, who serves as executive director of the Glaucoma Center, states, "Everything, including the location of the building itself, was chosen and designed with a lot of patient input and with patient needs in mind."

Easily accessible for anyone coming into downtown by car, rail, bus or ferry, the Glaucoma Center is located on a small, quiet street tucked in the heart of the South of Market district. "Our patients love the fact that everything they need is in one building and it's easy to get to," said Dr. Klufas.

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in North America, afflicting an estimated 3 million in the United States alone. Large banners in high-contrast black and white for easy visibility announce the Glaucoma Center from the street. For those who have lost their sight and others fighting to keep theirs, the talking elevator lets them know they have arrived.

The historical charm of the center's three story, 5,400-square-foot facility was preserved by retaining the original wood window frames and exposed brick in each room. Built in 1911 as a varnish warehouse, the building's old simplicity is complemented by modern details, such as state-of-the art electronics throughout, steel door frames and post-modern lighting.

Black and white prints from woodcuts by the Ukrainian-born artist Jacques Hnizdovsky adorn the walls. "I was captivated by this particular artist because each piece is a symphony. The woodcuts that the prints are made from require work of the most delicate, detailed, meticulous, and innovative nature," explained Dr. Iwach.

"They require an eye surgeon's planning and dexterity. Really, the art is a metaphor for eye surgery. On so many levels this collection resonates with the qualities of the surgeon and this center," Dr. Iwach noted.

"But beyond that, the high-contrast original prints have intricate detail contained within larger shapes and context," said Dr. Iwach. "So each piece can be enjoyed by individuals with either good or poor sight." That the award-winning art in the clinic reflects the Ukrainian influence of some of the staff was a bonus, he said.

Currently the Glaucoma Center has seven glaucoma specialists and one optometrist in private practice. This is the largest number of glaucoma specialists in private practice in North America. Four of the glaucomatologists work on any given day in eight exam rooms to minimize patient waiting time.

The third floor of the center is dedicated to research and administration. All of the doctors at the Glaucoma Center conduct clinical research, so the convenience of having an on-site research facility promises to enhance data collection and analysis toward finding a cure for this blinding disease. The doctors are also renowned consultants, offering their expertise to industry leaders in the areas of ophthalmic diagnosis, medicine and surgery.

As an adjunct to research, the Glaucoma Center is home to an international training program in glaucoma. This fellowship is a post-doctoral program for ophthalmologists from other countries who are interested in specializing in glaucoma. In the past year fellows from as far as Turkey, China, and Venezuela have trained side-by-side with the center's glaucomatologists to hone their diagnostic, surgical, and clinical management skills. They then return home to become experts in their own countries.

"The fellowship program certainly adds to our diversity," said Dr. Klufas.

Dr. Iwach concluded, "The multicultural environment means two things really. It means we have assembled a staff from all over that is professional and provides the best in glaucoma care. And, it means our patients are almost immediately at ease, despite their apprehension about having glaucoma, because they are comforted knowing we speak the language and, often, we have come from the same place."

The Glaucoma Center brings together all of these elements to provide an accessible, pleasant environment to help people cope with this dreaded disease. To learn more about glaucoma or the Glaucoma Center of San Francisco, call 415-981-2020, fax 415- 981-2019, or visit the website at www.glaucomasf.com. Art tours can be arranged by appointment.

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