Dr. David Khorram, director of the Center for Advanced Diabetic Eye Care at Marianas Eye Institute, said these two are the island’s most common diseases.
Khorram has just arrived home with his team from an eye conference in Hawaii, and they are eager to impart what they have learned to ensure that eye patients can get the best care available.
Khorram, who is listed in “Guide to America’s Top Ophthalmologists,” said cataract surgery and diabetic eye disease have undergone remarkable advances in the past years.
“From the conference I was able to bring back some new instruments that will both enhance the safety of the cataract surgery we perform, and improve the healing time,” Khorram said.
He was also able to bring back the newest research in diabetic eye care so that the options they provide to their diabetic patients remain up to date with the scientific research.
“Marianas Eye Institute is also becoming active in the field of clinical research, which allows us to bring the most advanced treatment options to our patients,” he said.
Khorram divided his time during the conference between the comprehensive ophthalmology and retina programs.
“It’s great to bring the advances in eye care and ophthalmic surgery back home to the CNMI,” Khorram said.
He spends time throughout the year keeping up with advances in these fields.
Writing about them and attending the Hawaii conference gave him more chances to study with friends and colleagues.
Russ Quinn, CEO of Marianas Eye Institute, said the Hawaii forum was actually four conferences rolled into one.
The conference, attended by over 1,200 individuals from all over the world, included a special educational program for technicians, for administrators, a comprehensive ophthalmology program for doctors and a retina conference for doctors dealing with retinal disease.
Quinn attended the administrator’s conference which focused on enhancing practices to serve the patients more efficiently and in a cost effective manner.
Believing that a well-trained staff contributes to the overall service provided by the clinic, Quinn said he is looking forward to bringing more staff to the next Hawaii conference next year.
“Our staff is the backbone of our practice, and their skills enhance our patients’ experiences at our office,” Quinn said.
Sending staff to the conference can be considered an investment in a company’s most important asset, the employees, he added.
“Education is the key to success in this field, and we ensure that our very talented staff gets the education needed to serve our patients with excellence” Quinn said.
This is the third year they have taken staff with them to the conference.
“It’s great to see them realize their own talents, and to see just how advanced they are, and our office is, in comparison to many offices in the states,” Quinn said.
Marianas Eye Institute eye care technicians Thelma Tenorio and Joanne Jones joined the technician and allied health program training.
“We had a chance to gain new knowledge and polish our skills as eye-care technicians, and it was a great experience for both of us,” the two said.
Tenorio said she saw how more things are moving toward 3D imaging.
She said they also got the chance to learn how to use new technology.
The knowledge that the team from the Marianas Eye Institute got from the conference will benefit their patients.
“We’re committed to making sure the people of the commonwealth continue to have access to the highest levels of eye care, so we received training on some of the new technology that will be arriving soon at our clinic,” Tenorio said.
“We also learned a lot about the federal regulations that guide medical practices, and realized how up-to-date we are at Marianas Eye Institute,” she said.
Tenorio and Jones have completed the first part of their examination as certified ophthalmic assistants at Marianas Eye Institute.
Named by the Retina Physician magazine as “one of the best-equipped eye clinics in the Asia-Pacific region,” Marianas Eye Institute continues to provide complete eye care for the family, including one-hour glasses, contacts, medical eye care, surgery and laser.
Working with Khorram at the institute is Dr. Mark Robertson, OD, a magna cum laude graduate of Pacific University.
For more information or for appointments call 235-9090, or visit Marianas Eye Institute on Beach Road in Garapan.
