After knowing his grandmother lost her sight in the 1960s due to glaucoma, Richard Zraick, Ph.D., sought the best in eye care after he became an adult. And when he became a professor of speech-language pathology in the College of Health Related Professions at UAMS in 1997, Richard had no idea just how much he would need the technology and expertise of the doctors at the Jones Eye Institute.

“My eyes are a huge part of what I do as a professor. My teaching, research and patient-care responsibilities all depend on me having good vision,” Richard said. After he joined the faculty at UAMS and learning that UAMS doctors have a great reputation in the medical community, he became a patient at the Jones Eye Institute.

Following several years of routine eye exams to monitor his glaucoma, Richard had an urgent issue with his vision one day. Knowing that he needed urgent medical care, Richard was relieved to be referred by his Jones Eye Institute ophthalmologist, Michael Wiggins, M.D., to a retina specialist on the same day. After Richard’s detached retina was repaired at Jones Eye Institute, Richard was advised that the other retina would likely detach in the future, and a second detached retina was later repaired successfully.

In the years following his retina surgeries, Richard developed cataracts in both eyes that were surgically treated by Dr. Wiggins using state-of-the-art ultrasound technology. Dr. Wiggins, a comprehensive ophthalmologist who specializes in cataract surgery, says, “Not all cataracts are age related. Some are caused by medications, trauma or are present at birth. Having cataracts develop after a major retina surgery is a known occurrence.”

“I’ve never seen better in my entire life. My grandmother visited many of the top specialists in New York and Boston, and I believe her sight could have been saved if the science and technology at UAMS had been available to her.”

For senior citizens, seeing clearly is critical in maintaining independence. With a need to be able to read labels and signs, perform tasks to maintain a household and see clearly to drive, eye care services are extremely important to active retirees like James W. (“Jim”) Bell.

Since Jim had watched his father go blind and subsequently suffer deep depression as a result, he has a real understanding of the difference that good vision can make in a senior’s life.

When Jim was concerned that his vision was not sharp enough for him to drive, his need for personalized care was met by Richard Harper, M.D., of the UAMS Jones Eye Institute. After a thorough medical eye exam, Dr. Harper advised that with the right glasses, Jim could continue driving. After Jim’s glasses were ordered by the UAMS Optical Shop, his vision improved substantially, and he easily passed the eye driving test.

Later, when Jim developed cataracts, their growth was monitored by Dr. Harper for several years, but surgery was deferred until needed. When Jim was driving out of state with his wife to attend their granddaughter’s wedding last year, he realized that he was unable to see well enough to drive in the rain and knew the time had come to have cataract surgery. 

Jim had concerns about cataract surgery and notes that Dr. Harper was very patient and informative during his eye appointments. Jim was concerned that he wouldn’t be able to stop blinking during the surgery, but Dr. Harper’s answers to the questions and outstanding bedside manner alleviated Jim’s fears.

“Many people are understandably anxious about having their eyes operated on,” says Dr. Harper. ”I believe it is critical that anyone contemplating cataract surgery obtain all the information that they can about their specific situation before making that decision. This will allow them to proceed with confidence, as Mr. Bell did.”

Working hand in hand, Jim and Dr. Harper jointly set Jim’s post-operation vision goals to have vision distance in one eye and reading vision in the other eye. The goals were met, and Jim is very pleased with the high quality of his treatment and his vision. “Dr. Harper is the most thoughtful doctor I have come across. He gave me a booklet that completely explained my cataract surgery and went through the booklet with me.”

Independent and happily active with his improved vision, Jim recommends Jones Eye Institute to his friends and acquaintances. 

“Thanks to UAMS, the Jones Eye Institute and Dr. Harper, I am living a full life and have been appointed to a three-year term on Little Rock’s Midtown Redevelopment District #1 Advisory Board. Not bad for an 80-year-old.”

Living in the Natural State offers an abundance of beautiful scenery for an avid runner and cyclist like Emil Mackey. Since he is grateful to the doctors at the UAMS Jones Eye Institute for restoring the quality of his vision, Emil is chairing the second annual Cycle for Sight endurance ride to help raise awareness and funding for eye research and outreach.

In his job for the Department of Workforce Education, Emil began working with UAMS to approve educational programs. After his ophthalmologist moved five years ago, Emil became a patient at the Jones Eye Institute.

Unable to fully enjoy views of the Arkansas River, parks and woodland he passed by, Emil had an eye exam and learned that he had cataracts. Michael Wiggins, M.D., a comprehensive ophthalmologist who specializes in cataract surgery, performed surgery so that Emil could see whites clearly and other colors more sharply. “I think Dr. Wiggins is tops. He is a fine doctor with a great bedside manner.”

A few years after his cataract surgeries, Emil was in the middle of a training run for his third marathon when he started having issues with one of his eyes. When he reviewed eye information on Web sites, Emil feared that he had a detached retina. Emil’s suspicions were confirmed when he visited the Jones Eye Institute the next day, and he was relieved to find that his urgent need for medical care was met very quickly. One year after surgery to repair his retina, he has 20/20 vision in that eye and is thrilled with the outcome.

“Symptoms of retinal detachment include the sudden appearance of multiple floaters, flashes of light or a curtain moving across your eye. Patients experiencing any of these symptoms or with any sudden loss of vision should seek immediate eye care,” said Sami Uwaydat, M.D., a retina specialist at Jones Eye Institute. “A patient with a detached retina has a better chance of regaining vision if retinal detachment surgery is done as soon as possible. Patients should also contact their eye doctor if they notice that straight lines appear wavy or if blank spots appear in their central vision, as these can be signs of age related macular degeneration.”

Having personal experience with the high quality of eye care provided at the Jones Eye Institute, Emil wants to spread the word to tell others in Arkansas and neighboring states. Emil believes it is important to establish a relationship with an ophthalmologist long before you need specialized services.

“I have a good ophthalmologist backed up by specialists and a state-of-the-art hospital. I’m confident that the Jones Eye Institute can provide whatever service I need now or at any time in the future.”
                                                                                                                                                                

Emil is especially pleased that the Cycle for Sight ride route this year will include the Medical Mile, which has been called the crown jewel of the Arkansas River Trail. Other ride highlights include the Big Dam Bridge and the Main Street Bridge.

Emil and our Jones Eye Institute staff members invite you to join us for this endurance ride. With three ride options designed to fit your level of cycling, this ride is for all levels of cyclists (even beginners). To register, please see Cycle for Sight.

Last year Lynda Etheridge was feeling fine and saw no need for a doctor-recommended brain scan to see if she had an aneurysm. Today she’s glad that her husband, Herb, convinced her to do it.

The Etheridges, of North Little Rock, had seen Lynda’s brother undergo recent surgeries for three ruptured brain aneurysms and endure a long, difficult recovery. She was told by her brother’s doctor in Houston that aneurysms run in families and that she should be tested.

Her husband urged her to follow through, and she got a nudge from her internist, so she agreed. In May 2009, she got the results of her CT scan.

“They called me the next day and told me I had an aneurysm,” Lynda said. “I was shocked.”

Lynda was referred to a Little Rock neurosurgeon. But instead of taking her case, he recommended that she see UAMS’ Dr. Eren Erdem, an interventional neuroradiologist who specializes in non-surgical catheter-based treatments of brain aneurysms.

Meanwhile, Lynda was considering her options. “I thought I would have to go to Houston or the Mayo Clinic or someplace like that,” she said. “But the neurosurgeon told me Dr. Erdem is the best in the business.” About the same time she went for a mammogram, and her radiologist, who was familiar with Erdem’s work, told her, “Dr. Erdem is excellent.”

Erdem is the only board-certified interventional neuroradiologist in Arkansas, and his skills have been recognized internationally. At UAMS, he directs the Division of Interventional Neuroradiology, where he provides a non-surgical alternative to repair both ruptured and unruptured aneurysms. He also is well known in his field for treating vascular malformations of the head and neck and using an innovative procedure known as kyphoplasty to help multiple myeloma and osteoporosis patients who are immobilized by painful vertebrae fractures. In fact, Erdem leads the world in the number of multiple myeloma patients treated with kyphoplasty.

To treat aneurysms, Erdem uses a relatively new procedure known as coil embolization. During this procedure, a catheter is inserted in a major blood vessel in the inner thigh and maneuvered all the way to the brain. The coiled wire is threaded through a catheter sheath to the aneurysm. The coiled wire is added until it fills the aneurysm, and is left there, permanently. A clot forms around the coils like scar tissue, which blocks more blood from entering the aneurysm.

More often than not, this is the preferred alternative to surgery for ruptured aneurysms, Erdem said. In a surgical procedure, a neurosurgeon has to manipulate brain matter to reach the aneurysm and clip it so that blood stops flowing into the aneurysm. Such invasive surgery has more risks than coil embolization, and the recovery period is significantly longer.

At her first appointment with Erdem, Lynda said she grilled him about the procedure before concluding that UAMS was her best alternative, especially since it allowed her to stay close to home.

Her aneurysm was not ruptured, but Erdem told her that it had a very high risk of rupturing within six months. She had the coiling procedure two weeks later and went home the following day. She said she was able to resume her normal, active routine within three weeks.

“I feel great,” she said. “I’m doing everything I’ve ever done before.”