HOD International Eye Clinic Enables Pioneering Surgery for High-Risk Patients; You Can Make a Difference

Keratoconus is a progressive condition that affects approximately 1 in 500 people in the United States and Canada with significantly higher rates in Down Syndrome patients.  Keratoconus often starts when people are in their late teens to early 20s and usually affects both eyes with vision symptoms slowly worsening over time.

The condition can be treated with a pioneering surgical procedure, Corneal Cross-Linking (CXL), a minimally invasive, outpatient surgery aimed at strengthening the cornea and stabilizing vision. It has a success rate greater than 99 percent, but it can be out of reach financially for those without insurance coverage.

To relieve the suffering of those who need the surgery but cannot afford it, The Hebrew Order of David (HOD) International is funding special grants to provide the surgery for patients who qualify.  The initiative, The HOD Eye Clinic, is in partnership with the Woolfson Eye Institute (WEI), and will be housed in the WEI Sandy Springs location. 

The procedure takes about two hours and patients are usually well healed the next day.  After CXL treatment, there are other options to improve vision for these patients. will be performed on a cost basis by surgeons at WEI.

One of our key HOD concepts is to relieve suffering wherever we can. The Woolfson Eye Institute has generously agreed to perform the surgery on a cost basis to assist patients who did not have funding or medical insurance to pay for these procedures. Woolfson Eye Institute is a large organization that has the resources and expertise to perform these much-needed procedures.

“I have spent my entire medical career helping people see better, and I have a real passion for helping people in general,” said Jonathan Woolfson MD, founder of the Woolfson Eye Clinic. “I’m extremely proud to be working with HOD to ensure we get essential vision treatment to patients, including those without insurance or the ability to pay for this vision saving surgery. 

“Our crosslinking treatment for keratoconus as well as our LASIK and cataract surgeries all have profound positive impacts on the lives of our patients.”

Your contribution can make a sight-saving, life-saving difference.

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For more information about keratoconus and CXL and to see if a patient may be covered by a grant from the HOD Foundation, contact the program’s administrator, Deborah Alexander-Davis, at the Woolfson Eye Institute by phone: 865-591-3350 or email: DADavis@woolfsoneye.com.  Eye care professionals interested in donating their time should contact Dr Woolfson at jwoolfson@woolfsoneye.com.