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Training Undergraduate BS: University of Oklahoma Medical School MD: University of Oklahoma College of Medicine Residency: Dean A. McGee Eye Institute, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine Chief Residency: Dean McGee Eye Institute Fellowship: Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute, Johns Hopkins University and Hospital Honors: "Best Doctors in America" and "America's Top Ophthalmologists" |
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Retina Associates of Kentucky Rick D. Isernhagen, MD What led you to choose Retina Associates of Kentucky? When I visited, I immediately fell in love with the beauty of Kentucky and found a tremendous opportunity to join a very strong leader in vitreoretinal diseases and surgery, my partner, William Wood, MD. I continue to be fortunate to work with two other very gifted physicians who joined the practice after me, Thomas Stone, MD and John Kitchens, MD. Why did you choose your subspeciality? Graduating in the top 5% of my medical school class allowed me to have many options. I chose ophthalmology as a speciality and retina as a subspecialty because of the importance of the gift of vision to patients and the ability to restore it and see such an impact on the patient's life. What are your interests? Within medicine, my interests include management of patients with retinal detachment, trauma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), macular holes, macular epiretinal membranes, and ocular histoplasmosis. On the horizon, I see treating more diseases, that were previously untreatable, with gene therapy and new medicines. I see the fear of blindness from diabetes eye disease removed. I see more and more elderly patients having driving and reading vision well into their 80's, 90's and further. Very soon I hope to see patients only needing yearly injections for wet AMD rather than monthly injections. What research are you currently working on? My research has primarily focused on age-related macular degeneration by being the Principle Investigator (PI) for the Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) 2, a national study, investigating new vitamin and nutritional therapies for the prevention of severe vision loss in AMD. I am also the PI for a combination therapy for exudative AMD which combines photodynamic therapy with ranibizumab drug therapy. In the past I have investigated studies on macular hole, use of silicone oil in severe retinal detachments, trauma, and new therapies for ocular histoplasmosis, AMD, and diabetic retinopathy. The future for patients with AMD looks brighter each new year as more treatments are developed and the level of new knowledge and interest in stopping blindness from this disease continues to increase. What do you enjoy outside of medicine? My wife Mischelle and I have 2 children, Blake and Laura. Mischelle is active in Baby Health, Women's Christian Fellowship, and Centenary United Methodist Church, of which we are members. Blake is a fourth year medical student at the University of Oklahoma and is pursuing a career in Ophthalmology and possibly, vitreoretinal surgery. My daughter, Laura, will be a senior at Sayre High School and enjoys golf. I spend a great deal of time with my family and friends, playing golf, bridge, and building model airplanes and flying them with remote control. |
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