A Center of Excellence
is the place where patients receive care of exceptional quality.
To create our Glaucoma and Cataract Center of Excellence
we have brought together dedicated physicians,
well-trained technicians and state-of-the-art equipment.
What makes us a Center of Excellence for Glaucoma?
We have top-of-the-line technology and our doctors have decades of experience diagnosing and treating glaucoma. Here are some of the ways this helps you.
We are usually able to tell apart glaucoma from its imitators (“glaucoma suspect”). To you it means the difference between no treatment (“glaucoma suspect”) and a lifetime treatment (“glaucoma”). The glaucoma imitator does not progress, does not cause blindness and does not need to be treated. Glaucoma may progress to blindness and must be treated. Glaucoma treatment is inconvenient and the cost of eye drops over a lifetime is expensive. This is why differentiating between these conditions is important.
With our on-site SLT laser we treat some types of glaucoma in the office. The cumbersome scheduling of surgery at the hospital or an ambulatory surgery center is eliminated. You come in for an office visit, undergo laser treatment and are on your way out in about half an hour.
Similarly, our on-site YAG laser is available for immediate in office treatment of acute glaucoma.
If your glaucoma is unusually resistant to treatment we have an on-site Glaucoma Consultant from the Kresge Eye Institute and Wayne State University who will take over your care at our office. All your records are available to the consultant and you don’t need to travel elsewhere.
What makes us a Center of Excellence for Cataract surgery?
Our doctors are qualified to do many types of eye surgery but, many years ago they decided to concentrate on cataract surgery. Over the decades they have performed thousands of cataract surgeries including implanting of lenses that correct astigmatism and lenses that reduce the need for glasses.
We are strong believers in well-informed patients and are happy to provide you with information.
Check “Cataracts” under “Straight answers- No hype” on the Home page of our website www.southlandeyeclinic.com.
If you are not ready for surgery but are interested in what is available, ask us for the cataract surgery patient handout. The options applicable to your specific situation will be explained to you in detail before you decide on the type of surgery you want.
We have an on-site laser for in-office treatment of secondary cataracts.
New and better ways of dealing with eye conditions are being developed very fast. To excel, the physician must concentrate on a limited number of conditions, keep up to date, be willing to listen to the patient and be willing to spend time and effort to achieve the results that modern medicine makes possible.
Cataract surgery and glaucoma are Dr. Belamaric’s and Reno’s special areas of interest. They have performed well over 15,000 cataract operations. Our patients include local physicians and their family members. Some patients come for surgery from states other than Michigan and some, from even as far as India, the Philippines and Italy.
GDx and OCT are laser-based tests that improve our ability to tell apart people with glaucoma from those who just seem to have glaucoma (“glaucoma suspects”). The distinction is very important because glaucoma requires lifelong treatment while glaucoma suspects require no treatment at all, just observation. We may also use the very new VEP and ERG tests to help in these cases. In this area of Michigan, we are the only office with such a complete line of the latest diagnostic instruments for glaucoma. We are able to support this high level of care because so many eye specialists work in our office and our glaucoma patient base is so large.