Dozens turn out for Maimonides lecture on vision surgery

By Carl Zebrowski Editor

ers. The garden is a way for teachers and students, from the TBE’s E. G. Scoblionko Religious School, to promote Jewish values related to the earth and to respectful human behavior. Young TBE families, the board of directors, Lehigh Valley teens and various Jewish organizations will also participate. One of the goals is to encourage the creativity of learners of all ages.

Planning began last fall with the selection of middot words that reflect Jewish values, and execution of the project will take place at TBE. Colorful vinyl panels will be created using artwork inspired by each value, written in both Hebrew and English. An initial educational process, learning about the middot and creating designs, will lead to the final creation date on April 23. The panels will then be displayed in a new fenced play area. The reveal will be on May 9, with an evening picnic at TBE coinciding with Lag BaOmer, which occurs on the 18th day of the Hebrew month Iyar.

TBE invites the community to join in this creation. Details about how to participate will soon be available through TBE’s office at 610-425-3521, on its website at bethelallentown.org, and on its Facebook page.

The turnout for the Maimonides Society Brunch and Learn on February 12 was the largest since the event returned after a hiatus of more than two years.

“The majority of Americans have some vision problems,” said Dr. Houman Ahdieh, an ophthalmologist specializing in glaucoma, cataract and refractive surgery at the Lehigh Valley Center for Sight. The widespread nature of the problem may have had something to do with Ahdieh’s presentation on surgical vision correction attracting so many people to Congregation Keneseth Israel that morning (many of them wearing eyeglasses!). Myopia, or nearsightedness, is the most common refractive problem (or inability of the eye to focus light properly on the retina), Ahdieh said. It affects more young white women, highly educated and of higher socioecomonic status, than others, he continued. The cause is unknown, but may be related to how much time a young person spends on “indoor activities,” such as reading and viewing digital screens.

Refractive problems less common than myopia are: hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism (irregularly shaped cornea), and presbyopia (an aging-related hardening of the lens that makes it harder to focus close-up).

To correct most refractive vision problems, people wear eyeglasses or contact lenses. Less than 1 percent opt for LASIK surgery. Two main reasons why they don’t choose that generally safe and effective procedure are fear and upfront cost. The price can be $5,000.

But, of course, regularly replacing eyeglasses or contact lenses adds up too, Ahdieh pointed out. “Designer frames with specialty lenses can cost up to $1,000. The best contacts are daily-wear lenses. They can cost $500 to $600 a year.”

For those who would choose refractive surgery, the best time to get it is in your 20s. “It will give you many years to go without needing reading glasses,” Ahdieh said. Of course aging will eventually catch up. “The correction doesn’t get rid of the glasses for reading.”

The LASIK surgery itself is shockingly fast. “The procedures can be from 15 seconds to 1 minute,” Ahdieh said.

“The patients are wide awake,” he continued. “There’s no anesthesia.” They are kept calm, and a speculum holds the eye open. The surgical equipment takes a battery of measurements of the eye and feeds them to the laser.

Another frequent problem that eye surgeons face is cataracts. “Cataract surgery is the most common surgical procedure in the world,” he said.

There are two types of cataract surgery, one standard and one done with laser. The latter provides the patient with a safer and possibly a better outcome but isn’t covered by insurance. Ahdieh said that exception isn’t likely to change anytime soon.

“I’m not here to peddle any of this,” he told the crowd. “I just want to make sure that patients understand that we have all the technology options available in the world.”

The next Maimonides Society Brunch and Learn is scheduled for March 19 and will feature three women healthcare professionals presenting on the topic “Burnout in Healthcare.”

(See page 1 for a preview article on that event.)