LSU Healthcare Network Debuts Drive-Through Eye Pressure Checks

LSU Healthcare Network achieved an adaptive medical first in New Orleans this week by providing drive-through eye pressure checks. Patients, by appointment only, drive to the back of the LSU Healthcare Network clinic at 3700 St. Charles Avenue where they are met by techs in full personal protection equipment (PPE.) After verifying patient information, the techs conduct the eye pressure checks, and the patients are on their way in minutes. LSU Healthcare Network is the first in the area to provide the service.

“It’s a way to check eye pressure without increasing COVID-19 risk spread,” notes Lena Al-Dujaili, MD, clinical assistant professor of ophthalmology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine and a glaucoma specialist at LSU Healthcare Network. “It’s mostly for glaucoma patients but is available to any patient who needs eye pressure checked during this time.”

Follow Us

Media Contact

Leslie Capo

Office: 504-568-4806

Cell: 504-452-9166

lcapo@lsuhsc.edu

Regular eye pressure checks are crucial for managing glaucoma. The instrument used at the Healthcare Network is called a tonopen, which lightly touches the eye after the patient is given a numbing drop, to give an intraocular pressure reading. High pressure is a hallmark of glaucoma, which untreated, can lead to damage in the optic nerve that may eventually result in blindness. Not only are the tests used to aid in the diagnosis of glaucoma, but also to determine how well treatments are working.

“COVID-19 times call for unique ways to check eye pressure in glaucoma patients,” says Dr. Al-Dujaili. “It’s a good alternative to having an in-office visit.”

The drive-through eye pressure checks are followed up either by a telehealth visit with their LSU Healthcare Network physicians or a telephone call, depending upon the patients’ digital technology capabilities.

“We continue working to overcome the challenges to delivering patient care in the COVID-19 pandemic,” adds Jayne S. Weiss, MD, Chief Medical Officer at LSU Healthcare Network and Chair of Ophthalmology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine. “We are committed to the health and well-being of our patients and are striving to innovate creative solutions to meet their needs.”

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans (LSU Health New Orleans) educates Louisiana's health care professionals. The state's health sciences university leader, LSU Health New Orleans includes a School of Medicine with branch campuses in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, the state's only School of Dentistry, Louisiana's only public School of Public Health, and Schools of Allied Health Professions, Nursing, and Graduate Studies. LSU Health New Orleans faculty take care of patients in public and private hospitals and clinics throughout the region. In the vanguard of biosciences research, the LSU Health New Orleans research enterprise generates jobs and enormous annual economic impact. LSU Health New Orleans faculty have made lifesaving discoveries and continue to work to prevent, advance treatment, or cure disease. To learn more, visit http://www.lsuhsc.edu, http://www.twitter.com/LSUHealthNO, or http://www.facebook.com/LSUHSC.

The LSU Healthcare Network (LSUHN) is a group of multi-specialty physician practices. Composed of members of the LSU Health Sciences Center faculty, LSUHN is a private, not-for-profit organization and has been serving patients in outpatient clinics since 1997. LSUHN is proud to offer over 30 specialties with numerous subspecialties to meet your healthcare needs. Utilizing a state-of-the-art electronic health records system, LSUHN is able to provide better coordination of care – from primary care to specialty care, as well as diagnostics.