Bob Burdette hoped it wasn’t too late. As he rushed to the WVU Eye Institute, the vision in one corner of his left eye slowly faded away.
“It was like looking at a photograph and watching a corner of it burn off,” Burdette, 79, of Morgantown, explained. Behind the picture, he said, was the “darkest dark” he’d ever seen.
An Eye Institute ophthalmologist, a doctor that specializes in complex surgical and medical eye care, saw him immediately and determined he had a retinal detachment – a serious condition in which the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, pulls away from its normal position. Retinal detachment is a medical emergency, and if left untreated, it can lead to significant vision problems, including blindness.
Thankfully Burdette, who said the Eye Institute saved his sight that day, had access to the most comprehensive ophthalmology group in the state. Its team of specialists have extensive training in areas like diabetic eye diseases, corneal surgery, glaucoma, cataracts, retinal surgery, neuro-ophthalmology, pediatric ophthalmology, oculoplastics, and uveitis.
“We see more people with eye disease or people who need more sophisticated vision care, which we can provide here due to our training and our resources,” Thomas Mauger, M.D., executive chair of the WVU Eye Institute and chair of the WVU Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, said.
And many patients, like Burdette, often need continuing care.
Burdette began having trouble with his eyes after cataract surgery at another facility caused retina damage. Afterward, he sought care from eye doctors in New York City and Boston. He moved to Morgantown and immediately appreciated the high level of care he received from the WVU Eye Institute.
“The WVU Eye Institute is extremely good,” Burdette said. “When you start getting into the doctors they have there, you’re getting very talented people.”
During an office visit with Mauger, Burdette informed him that the vision in his right eye had become “like looking through wax paper.” Burdette was diagnosed with Fuchs corneal dystrophy, a condition causing fluid buildup, swelling, and cloudy vision in the cornea, the clear tissue at the front of the eye.
Mauger performed a corneal transplant on Burdette, removing only the single layer of his cornea that was affected by the disease and transplanting a new layer from a donor.
Burdette’s cornea recovered, but he has since been diagnosed with wet macular degeneration, a condition in which blood vessels in the eye leak blood or fluid into the part of the retina in the center of the eye. The disease can lead to rapid loss of central vision if left untreated. He receives eye injections to slow the growth of blood vessels.
Burdette loves to travel, and despite his ongoing vision problems, he appreciates the lengths his doctors have gone to preserve his vision so he can continue his worldly adventures.
“The WVU Eye Institute is helping me greatly with maintaining my vision as long as it can, from a retina tear to a cornea transplant, and now with macular degeneration,” Burdette said. “I know what the final result is going to be. But you know something? I’m satisfied with that. I’ve had all these years to see many things. They’re absolutely dedicated to trying to keep my vision as long as possible.”
“Patients like Bob Burdette make it worthwhile,” Mauger said. “He’s grateful, even though it’s been difficult. That’s heartening to us to have patients like him who understand their disease and all we’re trying to do to help. He is an inspiration to us.”
In the hopes of helping even more patients like Burdette, the Eye Institute broke ground in January on a new outpatient facility. The new $233 million structure not only increases the Eye Institute’s size but also expands its clinical, educational, and research efforts.
“We’re working on the new building that will allow us to bring in more providers and care for more people,” Mauger said. “And at the same time, we’re reaching out across the state in different ways to try and help people where they live by setting up screenings and interventions. It’s a multi-pronged approach.”
Burdette, too, believes in the future vision of the Eye Institute, as well as Mauger’s strong leadership. He stressed the importance of bringing more attention to overall eye health in the state and Appalachian areas.
“I would make this a top priority for West Virginia,” Burdette said. “We need research, and we need places like the Eye Institute to implement it as they have. They deserve more attention.”
For more information on the WVU Eye Institute, visit WVUMedicine.org/Eye.
