The Catalyst Issue 4 | Fall 2009 | Page 8

Advanced eye care services and research efforts funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and pharmaceutical companies are consolidated in one place focused on excellence and on the future FAR SIGHTED he Scott & White Eye Institute is among the nation’s best and offers the most comprehensive range of eye care services in Central Texas for pediatric and adult patients. The Eye Institute also receives referrals for complex cases from throughout the state of Texas, the Midwest and the southwestern United States. Experts here are looking toward the future too, with revolutionary therapies and insights to improve the care for one of our most vital senses—our eyesight. The Eye Institute houses every subspecialty service in ophthalmology that a child or adult could ever need at the main hospital in Temple, with general eye care available at Scott & White Healthcare locations in Georgetown, Waco and Bryan/ College Station. A breadth of expertise T 8 THE CATALYST Fall 09 | sw.org includes basic vision examinations and LASIK procedures, glaucoma treatment and innovative retinal surgery, and lens replacement services. “From Dallas to Houston to San Antonio, we’re the only group that has every subspecialty. We have every area of ophthalmology covered,” says Samuel F. Fulcher, MD, director of the Division of Corneal and External Disease at the Scott & White Eye Institute. Integrated care and an academic focus The Eye Institute is home to many specialists who trained at top medical schools. In addition, members of the support staff—including opticians, contact lens technicians and ophthalmic technicians —are nationally certified in their specialties. Unlike doctors at other institutions, where subspecialists may be in different buildings, physicians at the Scott & White Eye Institute find it easy to share advice and opinions on patients. “We really value the team concept, and so we’re very integrated as a department,” says Dr. Fulcher. “We have open doors to each other.” That includes the academic side of eye care services as well. “We are actively involved in teaching, education and research,” says Robert H. Rosa, Jr., MD, director of the Division of Ophthalmic Pathology at the Scott & White Eye Institute, and its vice chairman of research. “That puts us on a level where we’re trying not only to give the best care but also to incorporate best practices for sw.org | Fall 09 THE CATALYST 9