The leaders of the Truhlsen Eye Institute want to see Omaha as a hub for high-quality, high-innovation eye care. With that vision, they’ve added more depth to their team of experts to expand the services they can provide.
"Dr. (Ronald) Krueger and I have worked together to strategically bring together a group of outstanding physicians focused on clinical, research and educational excellence, so that our service can provide advanced retina and uveitis care to Omaha and the Great Plains Region," said Steven Yeh, MD, ophthalmology.
Uveitis is an inflammation of the eye that can cause some similar symptoms of allergies. However, red, painful eyes, sensitivity to light and/or blurred vision may be more progressive and severe. It’s an eye condition that can cause vision loss or even blindness if left untreated.
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"While uveitis is generally considered a rare condition, untreated disease is associated with a high rate of vision loss," Dr. Yeh said. "It’s estimated to be responsible for 10 to 15 percent of all cases of legal blindness in the United States."
Dr. Yeh joined Nebraska Medicine/UNMC from Emory University, where he led a clinical and research program in Uveitis.
"While less common than other retinal diseases, the impact on vision and ultimately quality of life for our patients requires a comprehensive approach to diagnostics, treatment and clinical experience with uveitis and ocular inflammation," he said.
The specialists at Truhlsen Eye Institute also care for more commonly observed conditions, including wet and dry age-related macular degeneration, diabetes, retinal vascular occlusion and retinal detachment.
"We also provide advanced retina care in subspecialty areas of focus including ocular tumors, pediatric retinal disease, complex retinal surgery, and retinal degeneration diagnostics," Dr. Yeh said.
Dr. Yeh was recently involved in a leadership role as principal investigator and lead author on a new drug delivery method for the treatment of uveitis.
"This medication is delivered via a novel drug delivery platform for the treatment of macular edema (also known as retinal swelling) due to noninfectious uveitis," he said.
The trial, called the PEACHTREE trial, was an international, multi-center randomized controlled trial conducted in the United States, India and Israel that studied suprachoroidal drug delivery of triamcinolone acetonide suspension (XipereTM) for macular edema due to noninfectious uveitis. Forty-seven percent of patients who received this medication gained significant vision from this trial (3-lines of vision improvement).
"This medication was approved by the FDA on Oct. 25 and we anticipate availability in early 2022," he said.
Learn more about this team at NebraskaMed.com/Eye-care or by calling 402.559.2020.
"We are truly excited about the impact we can make at the Truhlsen Eye Institute in the care of uveitis and retinal disease conditions in the Omaha community and beyond," he said.
Fantastic group of retina and uveitis specialists!