COVER STORY
The Adventures of Vanquisher of Posterior Segment Disease (a.k.a. Evil Eye) by Brooke Herron
Who is PIE Person? The hero of the posterior segment, of course. Just as PIE Person’s worst enemy is Evil Eye, each ocular-disease-fighting ophthalmologist has their own nemesis to vanquish. So what conditions are considered the most villainous – and what weapons can conquer them? We asked three sight-saving superheroes those questions … and their responses might surprise you. Villain: Central Retinal Artery Occlusion (CRAO)
Superhero: Dr. Au Eong Kah Guan (a.k.a. The Retina Rescuer), medical director and senior consultant, Singapore International Eye Cataract Retina Centre at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre and International Eye Cataract Retina Centre at Farrer Park Medical Centre, Singapore
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“Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is the worst condition affecting the posterior segment; in addition to often blinding a person, it’s associated with an increased risk of stroke, acute myocardial infarction and death,” said Dr. Au Eong. The life expectancy of patients with CRAO is 5.5 years compared to 15.4 years for an age-matched population without the disease. “In most cases, profound loss of vision occurs despite treatment.” “CRAO is an acute, painless condition that is typically caused by thrombosis or embolism leading to ischemia of the retina and optic nerve head, resulting in severe vision loss,” he explained. This condition damages cells rapidly and retina survival depends on the degree of collateralization and