Dr. James Lai was the invited keynote speaker at the Taiwanese-American Medical Association meeting held at the Oahu Country Club. The Taiwanese-American Medical Association Meeting is comprised of members from all specialties of medicine. Dr. Lai gave an update on Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in patients over the age of 60 in developed countries.
Retina Consultants of Hawaii has been involved in all the latest national clinical trials for new treatments for wet AMD. Dr. Lai states, “By participating in these trials, RCH can stay at the cutting edge of new therapies. It has also allowed patients here in Hawaii to gain access to these novel treatments years before they are FDA approved and available to the public.”
Dr. Lai was also the invited speaker at the recent Hawaii Ophthalmological Society meeting. At this meeting, Dr. Lai spoke about his experience with Iluvien, the latest drug approved for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (swelling in the retina). Iluvien is long-acting steroid implant that is injected directly into the eye and can last up to 3 years. Dr. Lai was the first in the state of Hawaii to implant this device into a patient and since then, Drs. Lai, Kokame and Wee have had the most experience in using this new drug in Hawaii. “Illuvien is an important addition to our treatment options for patients with diabetic macular edema. It is a game changer in terms of what we can offer patients who do not respond well to standard treatments, ”states Dr. Lai.
Dr. James Lai speaking about the specialty of retina at the 2017 Taiwanese American Medical Association meeting