Internationally Acclaimed
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is committed to the protection and preservation of
the treasured gift of sight. The Institute's full-time faculty of internationally-respected
physicians and scientists are skilled in every ophthalmic subspecialty. Bascom Palmer Eye
Institute, which serves as the Department of Ophthalmology for the
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida, is recognized as one of the world's finest and
most progressive centers for ophthalmic care, research and education.
 Bascom
Palmer Eye Institute continues to be rated as one of the nation's best ophthalmic
hospitals by board-certified ophthalmologists from across the United States.
This year,
U.S.News
& World Report's survey of randomly selected ophthalmologists
rated Bascom Palmer the #1 eye hospital in the country. Ophthalmology
Times, an industry periodical for and by ophthalmologists, surveyed
ophthalmology department chairmen and residency program directors who rated Bascom Palmer's residency program the best in the nation.
Since its founding in 1962, Bascom Palmer has nurtured an
internationally-acclaimed faculty. Their continuing legacy is more than four decades of
pioneering work that has revolutionized the way numerous ophthalmic conditions are diagnosed
and treated. Each of our physicians specializes in at least one area of ophthalmic care and
has completed fellowship training in one or more subspecialties. More than half of the
Institute's faculty members are listed in the respected and comprehensive medical referral
book, Best Doctors in
America.
In addition to providing excellent ophthalmic care to more than 200,000
patients annually at our facilities in Miami, Naples, Plantation and Palm
Beach Gardens, Florida, our faculty members conduct innovative biomedical
research and present progressive, industry-leading academic programs
to medical students, ophthalmologists and other physicians in the
South Florida community and worldwide. Bascom Palmer Eye
Institute opened its third patient care facility in January 2004.
The facility is
located at the Naples Community Hospital Medical Plaza near downtown
Naples, Florida. The approximately 3,000 square-foot center will
focus on the management
of vitreo-retinal diseases, such as macular degeneration and diabetic
retinopathy. Bascom Palmer's newest office located in Broward County, Florida, opened in the city of Plantation in November 2004. The 10,000 square foot facility, the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at Plantation offers diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases and disorders including vitreoretinal diseases, glaucoma, corneal and external diseases, aesthetics and oculoplastics, and refractive surgery including Custom LASIK.
Advancing Medical Innovation
Consistent with our mission to resolve diseases and disorders of the eye, the physicians
and scientists of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute develop new theories, therapeutic techniques
and surgical instruments. Many of the institute's innovations have advanced the course of
ophthalmic practices worldwide:
- The first successful vitreous surgery --- and invention of miniature surgical
instrumentation required for this new procedure --- was achieved by members of our faculty.
- Bascom
Palmer Research Investigators established the
clinical value of vitrectomy (removal of the vitreous humor)
to treat retinal detachments,
diabetic
retinopathy, infectious
diseases of the eye and severe ocular trauma. We trained the
first generation of vitreo-retinal surgeons.
- Bascom Palmer researchers identified the herpes virus as the cause of Acute Retinal
Necrosis, a devastating infection of the retina often associated with AIDS.
- In a successful effort to restore the vitality to ocular mucus membranes, Bascom Palmer
faculty introduced limbal cell transplantation therapy, which now can prevent potentially
blinding corneal scarring.
- Many premature infants are affected by a blinding condition called
retinopathy of
prematurity. Bascom Palmer's pioneering studies have led to a better understanding of
the cause and more effective treatment.
Commitment to Research
Considering the importance of sight to every aspect of day-to-day existence and the degree
to which it enriches our lives, it is not surprising that low vision and blindness are the
disabilities that Americans fear the most. And as our population ages, eye disease is taking
ever-increasing prominence as a national health issue. Millions of lives are affected by the
major age-related eye diseases: glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy.
 Physician investigators
and scientists at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute actively search for the causes,
preventive measures and most effective treatments for diseases and disorders of the eye.
We enjoy a unique position that fosters major advances in medical research and allows us to
translate those advances directly into enhanced patient care. We constantly seek to build
upon today's knowledge and maintain our reputation as a preeminent research institution.
Current areas of clinical research directly addressing patient care include:
- Photo-dynamic therapy an FDA approved therapy for treating the wet form of
age-related macular
degeneration - is currently being tested to find broader applications in an
attempt to benefit patients with other causes of subretinal neovascularization.
- Advanced techniques in molecular genetics --- a promising direction for improving
diagnosis that may point to cures for macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.
- Unraveling the mystery of normal tension glaucoma,
in which the optic nerve is damaged even though intraocular pressure is normal.
- Improving the diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of cytomegalovirus
retinitis, the most common cause of blindness in AIDS patients.
- Establishing predictive tests and new treatments for complicated retinal
detachments, a major consequences of diabetes.
- New, non-toxic treatments for ocular
cancer, such as local hyperthermia, which kills cancer cells in the eye without
harming the adjacent healthy retina.
 Laboratory research at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is
conducted under the auspices of the Evelyn
F. and William L. McKnight Vision Research Center. McKnight Vision Research has a rich history of
discovery and innovation. Our multidisciplinary program covers a broad spectrum of research, from the
most basic investigations into the nature of molecules, cells and tissues, all the
way to the development of devices for clinical application.
Building on our tradition of excellence, we are currently implementing a
major effort to develop and expand McKnight's existing research
units and to add new programs. A number of outstanding scientists and physician-scientists have already
been recruited. In addition, we have extended the
mission of the McKnight Vision Research Center as an umbrella organization
uniting all eye and vision researchers at University of Miami and neighboring
academic institutions. Research activities have been initiated to enhance the
collaborative environment for this multidisciplinary group. In addition,
shared core resources
and our research
training program are all under expansion.
Today's and Tomorrow's Ophthalmologists
We regard the education of our ophthalmic
residents and fellows, medical students and ophthalmologists from around the world as one of
the highest priorities to ensure that the vision needs of future generations are met. This
tradition of excellence has been instrumental in earning Bascom Palmer Eye Institute world
recognition as an outstanding teaching, research and patient care facility. Our training
programs are regarded
as the best in the nation, and annually our seven first-year residency positions attract
more than 450 physician applicants from around the world.
In addition to earning an ophthalmology specialty for residents and sub-specialty training
for fellows, physicians may also participate in our
continuing medical education programs.
Conveying the knowledge acquired in scientific laboratories, our clinical practice and
surgical suites to students and ophthalmologists is critical to our commitment to global
leadership in the advancement of eye care.
Privacy
New privacy regulations recently took effect to ensure privacy protection
for patients by limiting the ways that their personal medical information
is used and disclosed. The regulations protect medical records
and other individually identifiable health information, whether
it is on paper, in
computers or communicated orally. These new standards also provide
patients with access to their medical records. For additional information
regarding
the privacy practices of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine,
please visit the Privacy Office web site.
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