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CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES EYE SURGEON RETURNS TO ARMENIA TO SAVE SIGHT IN PREMATURE INFANTS
Sun Herald
http://www.sunherald.com/2011/07/20/3284655/childrens-hospital-los-angeles.html
July 20 2011
Mississippi
Telemedicine Project Significantly Reduces Blindness in Babies Through
Patient Screenings and Physician Education
LOS ANGELES -- Thomas C. Lee, MD, eye surgeon with The Vision Center
at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and a member of the physician team
collaborating with the Armenian Eye Care Project (AECP), returned to
Yerevan, Armenia, and neighboring rural areas last week, to educate
even more doctors about complex blinding diseases in premature infants.
In July 2010, Dr. Lee joined the AECP in their annual mission
to Armenia to teach local doctors how to save sight in children
by diagnosing and treating Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), an
aggressive blinding disease affecting one third of Armenian premature
infants. After realizing the impact of intense and swift training
sessions, the doctors determined that an interactive telemedicine
and distance learning portal was needed to properly monitor exams
and surgeries using advanced medical equipment from across the globe.
To date, Dr. Lee and his team have screened more than 300 children
and observed more than 1,000 supervised exams over the internet. The
doctors in Armenia have treated over 40 children with the laser eye
equipment and administered sight-saving therapy to over 30 children
that would have otherwise been completely blind.
"I was eagerly looking forward to going back to Armenia to see the
impact of our last trip. It was literally the first time I have ever
witnessed 'see one, do one, teach one' in action. During this trip,
the team of doctors we trained throughout the year helped us teach
new physicians and neonatologists in rural areas through an in-country
training program," said Dr. Lee.
In remote areas of Armenia, advanced technology is unheard of;
therefore, the team of physicians trained local doctors how to inject
Avastin, a monoclonal antibody that slows the growth of blood vessels,
into the eye.
"We think our model of teaching through telemedicine can be replicated
in other developing countries around the world where the infrastructure
to teach physicians is limited," said Dr. Lee. "With the support of
the AECP and Armenian Ministry of Health, we hope kids will go on to
see years of the world around them."
About Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been named the best children's
hospital in California and among the best in the nation for clinical
excellence with its selection to the prestigious US News & World
Report Honor Roll. Children's Hospital is home to The Saban Research
Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research
facilities in the United States. Children's Hospital is also one of
America's premier teaching hospitals through its affiliation since
1932 with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern
California.
For more information, visit www.CHLA.org. Follow us on
Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn, or visit our blog:
www.WeAreChildrens.org.
From: A. Papazian
Sun Herald
http://www.sunherald.com/2011/07/20/3284655/childrens-hospital-los-angeles.html
July 20 2011
Mississippi
Telemedicine Project Significantly Reduces Blindness in Babies Through
Patient Screenings and Physician Education
LOS ANGELES -- Thomas C. Lee, MD, eye surgeon with The Vision Center
at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and a member of the physician team
collaborating with the Armenian Eye Care Project (AECP), returned to
Yerevan, Armenia, and neighboring rural areas last week, to educate
even more doctors about complex blinding diseases in premature infants.
In July 2010, Dr. Lee joined the AECP in their annual mission
to Armenia to teach local doctors how to save sight in children
by diagnosing and treating Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), an
aggressive blinding disease affecting one third of Armenian premature
infants. After realizing the impact of intense and swift training
sessions, the doctors determined that an interactive telemedicine
and distance learning portal was needed to properly monitor exams
and surgeries using advanced medical equipment from across the globe.
To date, Dr. Lee and his team have screened more than 300 children
and observed more than 1,000 supervised exams over the internet. The
doctors in Armenia have treated over 40 children with the laser eye
equipment and administered sight-saving therapy to over 30 children
that would have otherwise been completely blind.
"I was eagerly looking forward to going back to Armenia to see the
impact of our last trip. It was literally the first time I have ever
witnessed 'see one, do one, teach one' in action. During this trip,
the team of doctors we trained throughout the year helped us teach
new physicians and neonatologists in rural areas through an in-country
training program," said Dr. Lee.
In remote areas of Armenia, advanced technology is unheard of;
therefore, the team of physicians trained local doctors how to inject
Avastin, a monoclonal antibody that slows the growth of blood vessels,
into the eye.
"We think our model of teaching through telemedicine can be replicated
in other developing countries around the world where the infrastructure
to teach physicians is limited," said Dr. Lee. "With the support of
the AECP and Armenian Ministry of Health, we hope kids will go on to
see years of the world around them."
About Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been named the best children's
hospital in California and among the best in the nation for clinical
excellence with its selection to the prestigious US News & World
Report Honor Roll. Children's Hospital is home to The Saban Research
Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research
facilities in the United States. Children's Hospital is also one of
America's premier teaching hospitals through its affiliation since
1932 with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern
California.
For more information, visit www.CHLA.org. Follow us on
Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn, or visit our blog:
www.WeAreChildrens.org.
From: A. Papazian