MEI staff attend eye conference in Hawaii

Five members of the staff of Marianas Eye Institute attended the Royal Hawaiian Eye Conference, held Jan. 19-23 in Maui, Hawaii. The international conference, which is held annually, drew about 1,000 participants.

“This is a regular conference for us,” said David Khorram, co-founder and medical director of Marianas Eye Institute.

It is known as a great conference because it draws an international faculty, and provides in-depth continuing medical education in areas ranging from cataract and lens implant surgery, to glaucoma, eye infections, and diabetic eye disease.

“Ophthalmology is a rapidly developing field, and although we participate in educational programs throughout the year, the Hawaiian Eye Conference provides an opportunity to interact with other leaders in the field, as well as with representatives of the technology side of the industry, and to put our hands on some of the new equipment being developed,” said Dr. Khorram.

For the second year in a row, two ophthalmic technicians from Marianas Eye Institute attended the conference. Last year, Melonie Norita and Emilly Taitano attended. This year Lin Domingo Muleta and Joanne Castro Pangelinan participated in the conference.

“We really enjoyed it,” said Castro-Pangelinan. “In addition to the section for ophthalmologists, there is a simultaneous conference for ophthalmic nurses and technicians,” she explained.

Muleta said the conference provided not only the opportunity to learn new skills, but also to realize that the ophthalmic nurses and technicians at Marianas Eye Institute are as well trained, and actually more versatile, than those at leading eye centers around the country.

“We have a team approach to care at Marianas Eye Institute, and the commitment of the leadership to our ongoing training is highlighted by our attending this annual conference,” she added.

Muleta, along with Emilly Taitano, are the first two ophthalmic technicians to successfully pass the national exam and receive the credentials of “Certified Ophthalmic Assistants.”

In addition to the medical staff, Russ Quinn and Flor Racoma, from the administrative staff at Marianas Eye Institute, also attended the conference and participated in the session designed specifically for eye care administrators.

“On everyoneʼs mind this year is the recession that is sweeping across the globe,” said Quinn. “Our challenge is to continue to provide the highest quality of care in a cost-effective way. Even though things may be difficult financially, we feel it is important to continue to raise the quality of care in the region, and it is for this reason that we continue to invest in the development of our most important resource, the people who work at Marianas Eye Institute,” said Quinn.

Marianas Eye Institute provides total eye care, including one-hour glasses, contacts, medical eye care, advanced cataract surgery, diabetic eye care, and laser. Marianas Eye Institute has been recognized by Retinal Physician Magazine as “one of the best equipped eye clinics in the Asia Pacific region.”[B][I] (MEI)[/I][/B]