| Press Releases |
Illinois Eye Institute will dedicate Visual Electrophysiology suite and honor State Senator Mattie Hunter
February 12, 2009 (CHICAGO)— The Illinois Eye Institute, the clinical division of the Illinois College of Optometry, is now home to a state-of-the-art Visual Electrophysiology Service, made possible in part through the generous support of Illinois State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago, 3rd District). Senator Hunter will be honored for her support of the advancement of the Illinois Eye Institute on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. as the Visual Electrophysiology suite is dedicated.
Visual Electrophysiology provides sophisticated visual testing as a means of evaluating the electrical activity in the retina and visual cortex. This technology also gives optometrists the opportunity to detect and diagnose inherited eye diseases, which can be potentially devastating.
“Hereditary diseases affect people of all ages and the more than 90,000 patients that we see each year are the ones really benefitting from this technology,” said Illinois Eye Institute Vice President for Patient Care Services and Executive Director Leonard Messner, O.D. “Senator Hunter has been very supportive of the Illinois Eye Institute and as a result, we are able to enhance patient care and better serve the Chicago community.”
The most common clinical tests performed as part of the Electrophysiology Service are electroretinograms (ERG), electrooculograms (EOG), and visual evoked potentials (VEP). These types of tests measure performance of electrical impulses in the eye and are often the only means of diagnosing hereditary eye disease such as retinitis pigmentosa. In addition, they can also be used to determine visual potential in infants and non-verbal adults and with neurologic diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, to aid in the diagnosis of the condition.
“From an education standpoint, it is important that our students are exposed to this technology. The diseases that we can detect can be devastating and the students need to be able to recognize them and make the proper referrals,” said Illinois Eye Institute Electrophysiology Service Coordinator Mary Flynn Roberts, O.D., F.A.A.O. “We feel very fortunate to be able to serve our patients with this superior technology.”
"The Illinois Eye Institute has always been in the forefront of the medical community in advancements made in eye care, education and research,” said Senator Hunter. "This advanced and sophisticated method of testing for potentially devastating eye problems and hereditary diseases is remarkable. As a Senator of the Third District and, on behalf of the vast number of people who will benefit from the addition of the Visual Electrophysiology suite, I am pleased to partner with this prestigious Institute. I am honored to be recognized by this organization and look forward to working with the Institute as it strives to further develop advanced eye care treatment.”
For more information about the Illinois Eye Institute, visit www.illinoiseyeinstitute.com.
About the Illinois Eye Institute
The Illinois Eye Institute (IEI) is a multi-specialty eye center primarily serving patients from the Chicago metropolitan region. With more than 90,000 patient visits each year, the IEI is one of the largest providers of vision and eye care services in the United States. The IEI is also the onsite clinical training facility of the Illinois College of Optometry and is affiliated with the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Chicago and Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.