Sumit Garg, MD

As cornea specialists, we talk a lot about how to get timely referrals of keratoconus patients from optometrists and ophthalmologists who don’t perform cross-linking. But it is also important to recognize our role in transitioning the patient back to the referring doctor. To me, there are three key elements of a successful handoff.

Cross-linking is a unique procedure. As cornea surgeons, we depend on referring doctors to screen for keratoconus, a relatively rare disease.

Penetrating keratoplasty is an effective procedure that can restore sight for patients. However, it is not without significant risks and burdens, especially for young people who may need a second or even third graft during their lifetime.

WAILEA, Hawaii — In this Healio Video Perspective from Hawaiian Eye 2024, Sumit “Sam” Garg, MD, discusses deciding between a YAG capsulotomy or an IOL exchange for treating unsatisfied patients after cataract surgery.

WAILEA, Hawaii — In this Healio Video Perspective from Hawaiian Eye 2024, Sumit “Sam” Garg, MD, discusses the Tecnis Eyhance monofocal IOL from Johnson & Johnson Vision and how it can fit into a practice’s cataract surgery tool kit.

Given that the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute at UC Irvine is a referral center, most of the keratoconus patients we see have already been diagnosed elsewhere, or at least told they are suspected to have keratoconus.

WAILEA, Hawaii — In this video from Hawaiian Eye, Sumit “Sam” Garg, MD, discusses modular accommodating lens technologies in development, offering patients depth of focus and stability without any rings on the IOLs.

The temporary shutdown of medical facilities for all but urgent and emergent care at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in delays in care for keratoconus.

Although keratoconus can present at any age, most cases present between puberty and age 40 years.