Copyright 2009 Palo Alto Daily News

Palo Alto Daily News (California) 

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News 

November 14, 2009 Saturday 

SECTION: STATE AND REGIONAL NEWS 

ACC-NO: 20091114-PL-VA-hospital-1114 

LENGTH: 820 words 

HEADLINE: VA hospital: State requests probe of VA hospital \\?? 23 glaucoma patients suffered serious vision loss 

BYLINE: Jessica Bernstein, Palo Alto Daily News, Calif. 

BODY:

   Nov. 14--The state consumer affairs department has formally requested an investigation into the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, where 23 glaucoma patients experienced significant vision loss while receiving treatment.

   California Department of Consumer Affairs Director Brian Stiger made the request in response to an administrative petition the California Academy of Eye Surgeons and Physicians, the American Glaucoma Society and the California Medical Association filed in September with his agency.

   "As the events at the VA hospital do concern consumers, I am formally requesting that the Board of Optometry, together with the Medical Board of California, investigate the occurrences at the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Hospital regarding the eye

   care provided to veterans, including the role of optometrists and physicians in that care," Stiger wrote in a Nov. 10 letter addressed to Dr. James Ruben, president of the California Academy of Eye Surgeons and Physicians.

   "To the extent permitted by existing state and federal law, I am also requesting that those boards make public the findings of the investigation," Stiger said.

WVU Expanding Eye Care Services to Rural Areas

The Charleston Gazette

January 21, 2010

By Veronica Nett

West Virginians have fairly convenient access to eye care services, but the issue in rural areas is providing specialized care that is generally centralized in Charleston and Morgantown, said Judie Charlton, chairwoman of WVU’s Department of Ophthalmology.

West Virginians face a “pending epidemic” when it comes to their eyesight, the chairwomen of West Virginia University’s Department of Ophthalmology says.

This rate of state residents with glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy is on the rise, Dr Judie Charlton, said Wednesday in an interview with the Gazette.

Both conditions can cause blindness if not treated early, and occur in conjunction with the aging population, smoking and diabetes, Charlton said. West Virginia has one of the oldest populations in the nation and also has some of the highest rates of diabetes and smoking.

State Journal

Section: 55 Good Things About West Virginia

July 3, 2009

By Pam Kasey

Morgantown – Something Fairmont native Judie Charlton saw as a medical student at West Virginia University affected her profoundly.

It was on a rotation through ophthalmology.

“One day you’d see a patient who couldn’t see and, with some of the procedures we do, they see better within 24 hours,” she said. “It was such a wow factor to watch these patients have instantaneous happiness. That grabbed me more than long chronic care for high blood pressure.”

Charlton went on to complete her residency and glaucoma fellowship at WVU and, later, to join the faculty.

West Virginia Gazette

Section: Perspective

22 March 2009

By: Phil Kabler

March Madness: Some of the most contentious bills over the years have dealt with health-care professions protecting their turf when it comes to authority to perform various procedures. Most recently , there was a tug-of-war among dentists, dental hygienists and dentist assistants over what procedures the latter two could perform without a dentist present.

This year, the fight is between ophthalmologists and optometrists over proposed legislation to allow optometrists (who receive four years of vocational training) to perform certain surgical procedures (primarily, laser surgery) currently restricted to ophthalmologists (who are physicians).

Depending on who you talk to, the disagreement literally got physical last week, following a House Health and Human Resources subcommittee meeting on the legislation (HB2978).

Following the meeting, there was an altercation in the East Wing hallway between Charleston ophthalmologist Dr Lawrence Minardi and Nelson Robinson, who lobbies for the state Optometric Association.

According to those siding with the ophthalmologists, Robinson shoved Minardi.