Symposium

Ever since I joined the Corneal Dystrophy Association, I receive an invitation to their annual Symposium, held  this year in Milwaukee.  Noted ophthalmologists from all over, the country and the world, as well as those afflicted, gather to share knowledge and  research of what is considered a rare disease.  The good news is that this disease has a cure and the process of  the cure is constantly improving, with less and less invasive procedures.  The bad news is that since the disease/ disorder is relatively rare that it is not a payoff for most doctors to invest time and finances into learning the skills necessary to treat it.  So those whose symptoms have accelerated into the need for treatment willingly travel to the comparatively few experts who have practices, notably in Indiana, Oregon,  Florida, Texas and Maryland.  I know of one area ophthalmologist who performs the surgery, and have heard of only one person I know who has had the surgery with him.  She was happy with her results, but the Association website has other members who regret having gone with him.  So if the Fickle Fuchs' ever intrudes significantly into my life, I'll be off to Baltimore for treatment.  Years ago, corneal dystrophy used to be a leading cause of blindness, but as is said, there is now a cure.   For a person  diagnosed, each of that person's children has a 50% chance of inheriting the disease.  Though the disease typically does not show up intil later in life, that is not always the case.  Upstate NY and even the Boston area are notably lagging in knowledge and treatment of the condition, primarily because their practices are devoted to more common and profitable treatments, like laser treatments, which, btw, are very important to avoid if a person has corneal dystrophy.  (But who ever listens to an old person?)