Focusing on You: New Way to Care for Pediatric Glaucoma Patients

Dr. Alana Grajewski, a clinical ophthalmologist at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, explains what primary congenital glaucoma is and why it is so important to treat it immediately. Dr. Grajewski also introduces us to Rianna Patel, a teen who has the condition, and is monitoring her eye pressure at home thanks to Bascom Palmer’s new integrated system of care.

TRANSCRIPTION

Pam Giganti
Focusing on you, innovations in modern medicine, from your team of eye experts at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

Narrator
When Rianna Patel was born, her parents were shocked to learn she had primary congenital glaucoma, a condition that could cause blindness.

Sonal Patel
In the hospital, her eye was completely gray, left eye, and we didn’t know what was going on. And the doctor said, “You know what? Go to Bascom Palmer.”

Pam Giganti
That’s where Doctor Alana Grajewski, an expert in pediatric glaucoma, told the Patels this was very different from the disease that adults get.

Dr. Alana Grajewski
Children with glaucoma requires surgery and often urgently, and it is one where the price is high, if it doesn’t happen at an appropriate time.

Ketan Patel
So the glaucoma is in both eyes, but it was very, very obvious in the left eye and she has very limited vision in that eye.

Pam Giganti
Rianna had surgery when she was just a few days old, giving her a 90% chance of better vision.

Now at age 14, new technology is allowing her to monitor her eye pressure at home.

Rianna Patel
A probe looks like this. So this small white ball at the end is what touches your eye and collects your eye pressure, like this.

Dr. Alana Grajewski
She then uploads the information, in real time, to her doctor. Able to see Rianna’s pressure, at times of the day that I otherwise never would.

If I do not want the pressure to be above a certain number, if it is above that, I will be sent an alert.

Pam Giganti
This integrated system is changing the way doctors at Bascom Palmer care for their patients.

Dr. Alana Grajewski
We figured out how to put all these moving parts together and it’s really resulting in some excellent charting of how a patient’s pressure fluctuates with the day.

Pam Giganti
Saving Rianna’s sight as she grows.

Rianna Patel
It’s the best way to be able to fix and treat your eye.

Tags: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Dr. Alana Grajewski, focusing on you, pediatric glaucoma, primary congenital glaucoma