Donnie Rhett Koonce

Four Types of Retinopathy

A graduate with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Donnie Rhett Koonce serves as an ophthalmic assistant at Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates, performing patient optical screening and data analysis. Donnie Rhett Koonce also creates articles on weekly clinical cases for a retina reference website, retinareference.com.

Situated at the back of the eye, the retina is a photosensitive layer of cells that helps transfer lights to the brain for visual processing. Damage to this sensitive layer resulting from disease, known as retinopathy, may result in vision problems or loss of sight.

Underlying medical conditions can cause some types of retinopathy. Other types have no direct cause. Regardless, individuals with retinopathy can benefit from early diagnosis (through eye examination) and treatment to help manage the condition.

Following are some types of retinopathy:

Diabetic Retinopathy: A common type, diabetic retinopathy may occur in individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. It develops slowly, sometimes for years, and may present with noticeable symptoms such as black spots, blurry vision, reading difficulty, and one or both eyes suddenly losing vision.

Hypertensive Retinopathy: This happens when blood vessels around the retina are damaged by high blood pressure. It can be easily detected with the aid of an instrument called an ophthalmoscope, which can help detect pale areas on the retina that are turning white due to inadequate blood supply.

Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP): ROP may occur in premature babies as well as babies with low birth weight. Often, the condition resolves without intervention, but it should still be monitored by a pediatric ophthalmologist.

Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSCR): CSCR has no known causes. It often presents with poor night vision and blurry vision.

Lessening the Impact of Open-Angle Glaucoma

The recipient of a master’s degree in biomedical science, Donnie Rhett Koonce is an ophthalmic technician at Charlotte Optometric Clinic. In this role, Doonie Rhett Koonce conducts blood pressure and glaucoma screenings and color vision testing, and serves as a translator for patients who speak Spanish.

The most common type of glaucoma, open-angle glaucoma, happens when the eye’s drainage canal gets clogged over time, resulting in a buildup of fluid inside the eye. The excess fluid causes increased pressure inside the eye, which further results in damage to the optic nerve.

Open-angle glaucoma usually doesn’t result in symptoms early since it develops slowly; it may continue for many years without notice. Symptoms include patchy blind spots and loss of vision in the visual periphery. Unfortunately, neither of these can be reversed with treatment.

Regular comprehensive eye exams can detect the condition at early stages. The following is a list of the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommendations:

1. Every 5 to 10 years for individuals below 40 years old.

2. Every two to four years for individuals of age 40 to 54 years.

3. Every one to three years for individuals of age 55 to 64 years.

4. Every one to two years for those above the age of 65.

Screening Tests to Diagnose Glaucoma

An ophthalmic technician and assistant, Donnie Rhett Koonce has been serving the Charlotte Optometric Clinic for over seven years, with responsibilities ranging from scheduling appointments to translating the consultations for Spanish-speaking patients. At the Clinic, Donnie Rhett Koonce is also responsible for conducting screenings for glaucoma and measuring blood pressure.

A prevalent disease that often develops slowly, open-angle glaucoma typically occurs when the pressure of the optical fluids rises over time, leading to blindness. People with open-angle glaucoma hardly notice the symptoms, which generally start with a blind spot that can progress to an advanced stage.

People with high risks of glaucoma are recommended to have at least a dilated pupil eye exam every one or two years. Some other tests can be conducted by an ophthalmologist or optometrist to diagnose glaucoma, such as tonometry, in which the air pressure inside the eye is measured. The visual acuity test to measure sight at different distances can also be used.

Glaucoma can damage the optic nerve, and there are two tests used to determine its health. One is the ophthalmoscopy, in which the doctor examines the interior of the eye with a special instrument, and another is optic nerve imaging, with which the doctor can document optic nerve changes over time.

Hydroxychloroquine Retinopathy – An Overview

Holding a BS in biomedical science from Wake Forest University, Donnie Rhett Koonce serves as an ophthalmic assistant at Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates. Donnie Rhett Koonce has conducted research on a variety of eye conditions including hydroxychloroquine retinopathy and syphilitic retinopathy.

Hydroxychloroquine, with the brand name Plaquenil, is a drug that is used for treating skin inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, malaria, and systemic lupus erythematosus. This drug can cause serious side effects, such as retinal toxicity, so patients and physicians should be aware of this risk and watch for symptoms. Essentially, an ophthalmologist will evaluate the patient before treatment with hydroxychloroquine is initiated.

Sometimes called hydroxychloroquine retinopathy, hydroxychloroquine-induced retinal toxicity often doesn’t show any signs upon taking the drug initially. In some patients, however, early signs include the appearance of a dark spot or other interruption in the visual field (scotoma), which can affect reading and color vision. Most other patients start noticing this only after the scotoma has become severe. If left untreated, hydroxychloroquine retinopathy can cause loss of visual acuity, peripheral vision deficit, and night blindness.

Creating Your Own Recipe

An ophthalmic assistant and researcher at Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Associates in North Carolina, Donnie Rhett Koonce also works as an ophthalmic technician at Charlotte Optometric Clinic. Outside of his career, Donnie Rhett Koonce enjoys cooking and creating new recipes.

Many people modify the ingredients or cooking methods of an existing recipe. For example, instead of baking something in an oven, some cooks might try using a slow-cooker. Cooks also often change seasonings to bring a new twist to the dish. Either way, making modifications is a popular way of experimenting in the kitchen.

Rather than changing an existing recipe, advanced cooks can create recipes from scratch. This usually begins by using ingredients the cooks enjoy. Cooking with these foods makes the process easier since creating new recipes requires an abundance of taste-testing.

At the same time, beginning cooks should not be afraid to expand their comfort zone. They can try adding new spices to foods they like or experimenting with new ingredients they’ve always wanted to try.

Jack and Jill of America

For the past eight years, Donnie Rhett Koonce has been working at Charlotte Optometric Clinic in North Carolina as an ophthalmic technician. A dedicated philanthropist, Donnie Rhett Koonce supports a wide range of community-focused organizations. While growing up, he was a member of Jack and Jill of America from age ten to seventeen.

Founded in 1938, Jack and Jill of America is a membership organization for African-American mothers and their children. The mission statement of the organization is to “nurture future African-American leaders by strengthening children through leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving and civic duty.” As part of his participation with his local Jack and Jill chapter, Donnie Rhett Koonce provided community service to organizations that dedicated to helping at-risk communities. This included working at food banks, homeless shelters, and literature programs. Donnie Rhett Koonce’s participation in Jack and Jill of America had a lifelong influence on his desire to serve at-risk populations.