O P H T H A L M I C C O N S U L T A N T S O F B O S T O N

S P R I N G 2018

OCB VISIONS

The Center for Eye Research and Education is a non-profit foundation led by OCB physicians that supports projects throughout the world aimed at preserving vision for those in need. To donate, go to: cere-foundation.org

In this Issue:

• Cataract Surgery: Then and Now

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Founding OCB Partner B. Thomas Hutchinson Passes AwayIn the world of ophthalmology, OCB founding partner B. Thomas Hutchinson, MD, will be remembered as a highly accomplished eye surgeon and a great leader who made eye care accessible to underserved communities throughout the country. To his colleagues at OCB, he is remembered as a mentor, teacher and friend who set the standard for what it means to provide the highest quality of eye care.

Dr. Hutchinson, who specialized in glaucoma and cataract care, passed away on April 9, 2018, leaving behind a remarkable legacy that included establishing OCB, a practice that he oversaw for four decades, as well as inspiring and mentoring generations of medical students, residents and ophthalmology fellows with his approach to optimal patient care.

“He was a brilliant man, the quintessential leader and ultimate Renaissance man,” said OCB partner Bradford Shingleton, MD, who joined OCB in 1983 after completing his residency and fellowship training under Dr. Hutchinson’s leadership at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. “He became a mentor for me and because of his involvement in my training, my career was redirected toward specializing in the anterior segment of the eye, and for that I am extremely grateful.”

When founding OCB in 1969, it was important to Dr. Hutchinson that cataract, cornea, glaucoma and retina care were available in one clinic setting, to allow for he and his partners, Albert R. Frederick, MD and the late Silvio R. Von Pirquet, MD, the ability to provide a higher level of comprehensive eye care. OCB became one of the first private multispecialty ophthalmology practices in the country.

B. Thomas Hutchinson, MD

Cataract surgery today is considered one of the safest surgeries in the United States. The procedure has come a long way since the days when people were advised to wait until a cataract was ripe before proceeding with surgery. Modern day intraocular lenses provide clearer vision than ever before.

As we approach Memorial Day, we look back on the origins of modern cataract surgery, which can be traced back to World War II.

During the war, a British ophthalmologist named Harold Ridley made an important observation. When treating Royal Air Force casualties with eye injuries, Ridley observed that when splinters of acrylic plastic from aircraft cockpit canopies became lodged in his patients’ eyes, it did not trigger inflammatory rejection as did glass splinters.

This discovery gave Dr. Ridley an idea. He would develop a lens out of plastic material to implant at the time of cataract surgery. Prior to the development of lens implants, a cataract, which is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens that interferes with vision, was surgically removed and thick “Coke bottle” glasses were required to restore

focusing power to the eye.

On November 29, 1949, Dr. Ridley performed the first cataract surgery using a plastic intraocular lens (IOL) made of polymethyl methacrylate. However, it was not until February 8, 1950 that he successfully left an artificial lens in place in an eye.

Dr. Ridley worked hard to overcome complications in the face of prolonged opposition in the medical community and it wasn’t until the late 1960s that he refined his technique. The IOL was finally approved for use in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration in 1981.

Modern day IOLsSince then, advances in technology have led to increased accuracy in determining lens implant power for each individual, much like a prescription you would have for glasses. For decades, singular focus IOLs have provided the best corrected vision at either near, intermediate or far distances. The development of premium IOLs

took that a step further, and enabled patients to see both near and distant objects clearly.

This offered the potential for some patients to be able to read and

perform other tasks without glasses. This outcome

however, varies from patient to patient.

Cataract Surgery: Then and Now

Sir. Harold Ridley

A lens with a cataract no longer needs to be “ripe.”Advances in cataract removal have also come a long way. Now, the cataract is removed through a process called phacoemulsification, which was first developed in the late 60s. With this procedure, ultrasound energy gently fragments the large hard center (nucleus) of the cataract allowing it to be aspirated through a small instrument . Prior to that, the lens was removed via an incision that went half way around the cataract. Surgery was restricted to so called “ripe”

lenses, because the lens had to be completely intact when removed.

Each year, 2 million cataract surgeries are performed in the U.S. Once requiring a long inpatient hospital stay, cataract surgery today is performed as a minimally invasive procedure, lasts only a few minutes resulting in a faster visual recovery many patients experience a life-changing improvement in vision.

To learn more, visit our website to learn more about cataract surgery www.eyeboston.com/cataract-care.

As OCB continued to grow and prosper, providing optimal and compassionate care to patients was the number one factor that drove every clinical and business decision Dr. Hutchinson made, said Dr. Shingleton.

“Even after Tom retired, the impact he had was so ingrained and established, it continues to set the tone for all that we do at OCB to this day,” he said.

Dr. Hutchinson earned his undergraduate degree at West Virginia University and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1958. He completed his residency and fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

He later became an associate clinical professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. He served as President of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and was a member of the AAO Board of Trustees for many years. It was through the AAO that he created the National Eye Care Project, which is now known as EyeCare America, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing medical and surgical eye care to the financially disadvantaged.

Dr. Hutchinson served as chair of the AAO Foundation Advisory Board for twenty years, as well as President of the Massachusetts Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons and the New England Ophthalmology Society.

Dr. Hutchinson was an avid collector of antique clocks and had a passion for fishing. He was a loving husband and father to his wife, June, and his son, Daniel.

In his memory, the AAO has established the B. Thomas Hutchinson, MD Fund in support of EyeCare America and public service programs of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Please visit www.aao.org/foundation for more information or to make a donation.

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Dr. Hutchinson is pictured here providing education to one of his many patients at OCB.

OCB Ophthalmologist Chirag Shah, MD, completed the Boston Marathon in April. Dr. Shah, who specializes in retina care, ran on behalf of the Massachusetts Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired.

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O C B N E W S & N OT E S

OCB is pleased to announce that Ambika Hoguet, MD, has joined our team of glaucoma and cataract care specialists. Prior to joining OCB, Dr. Hoguet was on the faculty

at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, where she was recognized as an outstanding teacher and physician. Dr. Hoguet earned her medical degree at Duke University and completed her clinical fellowship in glaucoma at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami. Dr. Hoguet is welcoming patients in our Danvers and Waltham practice locations. To learn more about her, please visit www.eyeboston.com.

Yarmouth

After successfully serving as President of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery this past year, OCB Ophthalmologist Bonnie An Henderson, MD, delivers the opening address at the ASCRS annual meeting held in April in Washington, DC.