A skilled ophthalmologist employs extreme precision, knowledge, and understanding of pathologies to care for one of the body’s most delicate organs, the eye.
Never is this more important than when the patient is an infant or child, whose needs and ability to communicate differ from those of an adult patient. While there has been a nationwide scarcity of pediatric ophthalmologists who are specially trained to meet the needs of young patients, two new additions to UTMB’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences are equipped to fill the void for local families.
Alaa Al-Suradi, MD, and Rommel Izaguirre Pereira, MD, come to UTMB with the training and experience to offer area parents confidence in the care their children will receive. Both trained at the oldest and foremost Pediatric Ophthalmology fellowship program in the world, at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC, and are well-versed in the full spectrum of pediatric ophthalmology needs.
“For any patient that has any kind of eye disease under the age of 18, we are the first line,” Dr. Al-Suradi says. “If we can treat it, which we can in most cases, we do. If we need help from our colleagues who see adult patients, this is when we refer.”
Pediatric eye needs range from strabismus (the most common condition seen in Pedi Ophthalmology), to drooping lids, cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal disease.
Because young children typically do not know or cannot communicate when they have a vision problem, Dr. Al-Suradi says that screening with refraction by a pediatric ophthalmologist, general ophthalmologist, or optometrist is extremely important.
“(Any vision problems they experience) seem normal for them, vision that is 20/40 or low vision. This is what they are used to, it’s what they think that life is, so this is why screening is very important,” he says.
General pediatricians and primary care physicians are urged to refer any pediatric patient with a failed vision screening to Ophthalmology, so the specialists can perform a visual acuity test. This helps to make sure no diseases of the eye are being missed.
“They come to us to rule out any astigmatism, myopia, or hyperopia,” Dr. Izaguirre says. “Also, ocular surface disorders or nasolacrimal duct obstruction (blocked tear duct).”
In some cases, early screening can be critical to prevent lifelong problems. For example, one condition, amblyopia (also known as lazy eye), should be treated at as early an age as possible. As a child ages, their brain becomes less able to adapt to visual changes, rendering treatment less effective.
In addition to the fellowship at Children’s National, Dr. Al-Suradi completed a fellowship focused on pediatric cataract at the Medical University of South Caroline. Dr. Izaguirre completed additional fellowship training at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
The Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences team also includes Dr. Mohamed Soliman, who is fellowship-trained and experienced in pediatric ophthalmology but has a current clinical focus on adult retina cases. However, he is available to provide support for pediatric cases, helping ensure the full breadth of needs are met.
The new physicians are looking forward to spreading the word about the wide range of eye care services they can provide, utilizing UTMB’s state-of-the-art equipment and facilities and their own expertise to establish a strong patient base for pediatric ophthalmology at UTMB.
“We have the equipment, we have the knowledge, and I think we have the patients,” Dr. Al-Suradi says. “The Houston area is huge, and there is a lot of pathology. Hopefully we can help the community.”
 |  | Alaa Al-Suradi, MD, sees
patients at the UTMB Health Eye Center locations in Friendswood and Town Center in League City. |