The Citizen, 1998-02-25, Page 7Technician Teresa Jantzi conducts a series of brief
examinations on Donald Rolph of Mitchell in preparation
for his cataract surgery at Clinton Public Hospital.
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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1998. PAGE 7.
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New CPH service lets patients see things differently
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
It's not just a good fit for Clinton.
Public Hospital it's a much needed
service.
The newly opened ophthalmology
service at CPH, organized through
co-operation .of the University of
Western Ontario and the London
Health Sciences Centre, has offered
convenience for Huron County
cataract, as well as other eye care
patients.
C PH's Co-ordinator of
Ambulatory Services Bonnie Royal
said that the service was obviously
much needed because since the first
operation in November they now
have a waiting list of two months.
While cataract patients are not
necessarily elderly, the majority are,
which is another reason the service
is essential. "People as they get
older become a little more nervous
about driving to the city and if they
have cataracts, obviously any
concerns in that area will be greater.
The ophthamology team at CPH
comes from London, so patients are
getting topnotch service locally."
OR Nurse Anne Cox says age is
not the only factor in the
development of cataracts. In the
short time the service has been
offered at Clinton, they have seen
several patients who were middle-
aged, she said.
Tending to the patients is a team
of surgeons which consists of Dr.
David Nicolle and Dr. Louis Probst.
Dr. Bruce Nichols will soon be
joining the staff. The CPH operating
room staff spent a good deal of time
at St. Joseph's Hospital in London
to ensure that the service was up
and running properly.
Since they began seeing
ophthamology patients in
November they have done eight
surgeries a day, twice a month. For
March, Royal said they are up to
three so will be ''looking at stepping
it up,"
A total of 200 patients have been
seen at this point she said.
The doctors had been coming to
Clinton for about a year, working in
a local optometrist's office. At that
time the majority 'of patients were
suffering from diabetes-related
problems or glaucoma.
With the ophthamology service
now well on the way, the plan is to
provide complete eye care for the
people of Huron. Cataract surgery is
the biggest addition, however, with
the $200,000 surgical equipment
installed.
Cataract patients are referred to
the service by their optometrist.,
says technician Teresa Jantzi.
Cataracts are a clouding of the
normally clear lens of the eye. The
lens, one of the two main focussing
mechanisms is just behind the pupil.
The clouding blocks the passage of
light needed for sight. Though it
typically starts in one eye, usually
both will become involved.
Symptoms usually appear as blurred
vision, impaired vision at night or in
very bright light, halos around lights
and what is described as second
sight, or the ability to read without
glasses, which often occurs with
increasing age.
Cataracts are a major cause of
vision loss worldwide, but while
many find the idea alarming,
according to information from the
Mayo Clinic, cataracts are one of
the least serious eye disorders
because surgery can restore lost
sight in most instances.
Once an optometrist refers a
patient to the ophthamology service
at CPH they visit the hospital where
among other things, the curvature of
the eye is measured to determine the
lens needed for surgery. Surgery is
a day procedure, which Royal says
works very well with other existing
services at the hospital. "With the
Ministry telling us we had to cut
down beds, we have worked on
building up our day care service."
Surgery, according to Cox, can take
anywhere from 15 minutes to half
an hour.
The patient then comes back for a
few follow-up visits.
Royal believes that the service,
has been ground-breaking in the
province, in addition to being a
tremendous addition to the county
health care system. "It is a co-
operative way to bring eye care
closer to the community."
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Reaching out
At the grand opening of the Clinton Public Hospital ophthamology service, Feb. 12, guests
had the chance to observe the new $200,000 cataract surgical equipment. Dr. Louis Probst,
seated right, and Dr. David Nicolle provided the specialist medical services to Huron County
residents at the new outreach facility. (Phtot by Shelley McPhee-Haist)