A Happy Ending Made Possible By Our Close Network Of Referring Doctors

January 26, 2012

As retinal specialists, we deal with some very serious eye conditions on a daily basis. Many of our patients have sight-threatening diseases, and it is our job to get them better. However, occasionally we encounter a patient with a life-threatening condition that reveals itself through the eyes. It is often during these times that our referring optometrists and ophthalmologists serve as our team members in helping to save a life. Or, in this case, two.

Last year, one of our referring optometrists, Dr. Isaac Kaopua in Aiea, sent a 43-year-old pregnant woman to us. She'd been experiencing blurry vision for several days and went to see him. From reading the patient's history, Dr. Kaopua realized that severe vision loss was highly unusual for her, and during his retinal examination he noticed something suspicious. He was concerned enough to insist that his patient come straight to our office that day.

On examination, we discovered serious bilateral retinal detachments, caused by undiagnosed severe pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy condition in which high blood pressure can damage the kidneys, retinas and other organs.

Although she was 33 weeks pregnant, she hadn't gone to a doctor for regular prenatal care. Untreated, patients with preeclampsia can experience seizures and strokes, and on rare occasions the mother and the baby can die.

Immediately after making our diagnosis, we called an ambulance and directed it to rush our patient to the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. Within minutes of arriving, she developed seizures and underwent an emergency cesarean section, delivering a healthy baby boy.

Three weeks after the delivery, she was back to her normal 20/20 vision in each eye and had completely recovered from her retinal detachments. It was an amazing recovery, made possible by the team members in our office and one very astute optometrist in Aiea.

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