“Medcast Plus” episode focuses on eye care

“Medcast Plus,” a television program aimed at informing Brooklynites about various health issues with doctors as featured guests, returns with its latest episode on eye care.

Dr. Maurice Mosseri discussed various illnesses of the eye with host Jazmin Ovalles.

“We talked about the different concerns patients have when they come to an eye surgeon and common diseases, such as glaucoma and cataracts as well as dry eyes,” he said. “It was a great experience. We were able to provide information to help the public make better decisions about eye care, and know what questions to ask when they see an eye surgeon.”

Mosseri stressed the importance of seeing an eye doctor early. “I think it’s important to see a specialist to properly diagnose and treat glaucoma. Patients should not be afraid of asking questions and they should be educated so they can have the proper information,” he said. “The most important thing is that glaucoma is a silent thief of vision. Because of that, people cannot have symptoms at all. By that time, they find out they have disease, the lost vision can’t be recovered. Early diagnosis and treatment are important.”

Mosseri emphasized that patients shouldn’t wait till they have symptoms to go to the eye doctor.  “The patient doesn’t realize anything is wrong so, when they do realize, there may be so much damage, the best we can do is to save what’s left,” he said.

Nonetheless, even if damage has occurred, “It’s not hopeless,” said Mosseri. “We can do things to preserve what’s left of a patient’s vision. The best thing is to be diagnosed early. People with a family history of glaucoma have higher risk of having it so they should be examined. Early treatment can prevent any loss.”

He also recommended getting checked out at a certain age. “These diseases are much more common as we get older,” Mosseri said. “Anyone over 40 should have a baseline exam and certain groups, like those from the Caribbean, should be examined earlier for glaucoma.”

The doctor praised “Medcast Plus” for helping to get important information out. “The show is an excellent vehicle and it gets information across to the public and educates them,” he said. “The host was great and so was my experience.”

Greg Romenski is the executive producer of “Medcast Plus.” The next episode will air on Thursday, October 27 on Channel 79 on Time Warner, 68 on Optimum, 83 on RCN and 43 on Verizon Fios.