News

Calendar

HealthCasts

Spotlight

Patient Archive

Physician Archive

Clinician Archive

Videos

Portraits of Hope

Vera Bockius

UF ophthalmologist saves patient's vision

In August 2006, Vera Bockius, 69, went to her primary care physician when the vision in her right eye began to change. She described the change as a haze and thought she was developing cataracts.

"The text on my computer monitor looked strange and the bumpers on people's cars looked like they had been in accidents," the legal clerk of 11 years said. "It was the floaters in my eye that made me schedule an appointment with my doctor."

Bockius said thinking about how her father lost his vision also motivated her to schedule an appointment. "In 1966 my father went to a big eye institute in Miami, but back in those days they didn't have all the treatments they do now," Bockius said. "It was too late for him; he went completely blind two years later."

The diagnosis

Vera Bockius and Sandeep Grover, MD

Her physician referred her to Sandeep Grover, MD, a University of Florida College of Medicine - Jacksonville assistant professor of ophthalmology. Grover diagnosed Bockius with age-related macular degeneration.

"Initially we monitored Ms. Bockius for dry macular degeneration, but she converted to the wet form of macular degeneration in both eyes," Grover said. "There was a high risk of her losing considerable vision in both eyes if it went untreated."

Wet macular degeneration is a condition where newly created blood vessels growing under the center of the retina leak and scar the retina, thereby altering or destroying central vision. Unlike the more common dry macular degeneration, which results from the gradual breakdown of cells in the central part of the retina, the wet form is more progressive and blinds people more quickly.

Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause for blindness in people over 55 in the U.S. It affects both men and women equally, and the risk of developing this condition increases with age.

"Normally patients start noticing problems with their center vision first, which progressively gets worse, leading to legal blindness," said Grover.

The vision-sparing treatment

Grover presented Bockius with two options to save her vision: laser treatment, which can cause scarring, or a new treatment called anti-vascular endothelial growth factor, also known as anti-VEGF. This medication is administered through direct injections to the eye using a very fine needle every four to six weeks to prevent the development of new blood vessels.

Bockius opted for the anti-VEGF shots.

"After the first shot, the vision in one of her eyes returned to almost 20/20," Grover said. "With additional shots, her other eye also improved, and both eyes have remained stable so far."

The eye is numbed in advance using a gel, making the procedure painless; nevertheless, Grover said the fear of a needle going into the eye is still a deterrent for many patients. The procedure is done in the office and takes a few minutes to administer. Following the injections, the patient may sometimes see floaters for a few days and will be prescribed antibiotic drops.

Looking ahead

Now that Bockius' vision has been restored, she is looking forward to seeing the construction work completed on her log cabin in the Georgia mountains. She said she is forever grateful for the treatment she received from Grover and his support staff.

"He is so patient and kind and the support staff really care," Bockius said. "They call it the 'Science of Hope,' and that's exactly what it is."

top of page