MDNews - Greater Kansas

WHILE OPHTHALMOLOGISTS OF TEN FOCUS ON SAVING ONE'S VISION, A NEURO¡ OPHTHALMOLOGIST CAN OF TEN HELP SAVE LIVES THROUGH A DIAGNOSIS. Grene Vision Group ophthalmologist Michele M. Riggins, MD, is a fellowship-trained neuro-ophthalmologist. EYES BY AMY GEISZLERJONES PATIENTS WHO SEE a neuro-ophthal- mologist, such as Michele Riggins, MD, with Grene Vision Group in Wichita, usually have vision problems that are caused by a neurological or physi- cal condition, some of which can be life-threatening. For example, one of Dr. Riggins' patients thought a cataract was causing his clouded vision until she discovered a brain tumor had been pressing on his ocular nerve fibers. Within days, he had surgery for the tumor. "My priority is to ma ke sure the patient doesn't have a life-threatening or vision-threatening disease," Dr. Riggins says. She diagnoses at least one patient a day with either of those risks. Dr. Riggins is one of more than 400 board- certified neuro-ophthalmologists in the U.S. She's also the only one in Kansas outside of the Kansas City area. With so few neuro-ophthalmologists in the U.S., Dr. Riggins sees patients from not only Kansas, but also from neighboring states and Arkansas, as well. Most of her patients have seen at least two other doc- tors, such as their family physician and their general eye doctor, she says, indicating the complexity of diagnosing a neurological condition that can cause vision problems. Some have seen neurologists, infectious disease doctors or other specialists during their search for a diagnosis. Several neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis or myasthenia gravis (MG) or diseases such as Lyme disease or cat scratch fever can also cause vision problems. "Every day I hear from at least three to five patients, 'Well, You're it. No one has figured out what's going on so it's your turn,'" Dr. Riggins says. Most of the time, she says, she can attribute the vision loss to a systemic or neurological condition. For some, stress has led to a visual impairment. Patients referred to her are those who have vision loss with an unknown etiology, diplopia, abnormal or asymmetrical pupils, or other issues aecting their vision. With a focus beyond the eyes, Dr. Riggins spends as much as an hour with a patient during an initial visit, taking a thorough medical history and recording symptoms, reviewing previous testing and scheduling additional tests, most of which is imaging that involves more than just the eye. "We can't discount anything," she notes. For example, for suspected MG cases, she does a pharmacological test, using Tensilon, to help with diagnosis. "Not many doctors do that in this area," she says. When she arrives at a diagnosis, Dr. Riggins considers herself part of a team approach in providing treatment for the patient. "We definitely get the primary care doctor involved and any other specialist, such as a neurologist, an oncologist if the vision loss is related to cancer, a rheumatologist if it's an autoimmune disorder, or an ear, nose and throat doctor," she says. After attending and earning her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University the collegiate swim- mer earned her medical degree from the Texas A&M Health Science Center, completed an internal medicine internship and ophthalmology residency at Scott and White Hospital in Temple, Texas, and also completed one of the few surgical neuro-ophthalmologist fellow- ships in the country at Dean A. McGee Eye Institute in Oklahoma City. Dr. Riggins joined Grene Vision Group in 2012 and sees patients at the group's Wichita and Hutchinson locations. To make a referral to Dr. Riggins for a patient with unexplained vision loss or impairment, call Grene Vision Group at 316-684-5158. ■ Looking Beyond the 2 8❱❱❱❱❱ F E A T U R E 2 8

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