The new Ira G. Ross Eye Institute is the latest addition to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus downtown on Main Street. The $10 million project included the restoration of a building that formerly housed a used car dealership.
According to the chief executive officer of the institute, Dr. James Reynolds, a sum of $150,000 was expended for refurbishing the front of the building to maintain the architectural integrity. Two-thirds of the building was completely gutted, while the other third was demolished.
In addition, $4.5 million was spent on bricks and mortar alone, while $2 million went towards new state-of-the-art equipment. The remaining funds were spent on programs.
Although the project was a precursor to UB 2020, it coincides with the plan's goals.
"This predated UB 2020 and predated President Simpson, even though he has been a critical supporter. It fits right in with UB 2020; it is perfectly consistent," Reynolds said. "I would like to think that the types of program decisions that came out of UB 2020...are the types of things we did here in developing the science institute."
Reynolds believes the Institute will have a positive impact on the downtown Buffalo area, a goal that is defined in the UB 2020 plan.
"(This reflects a) major commitment to...downtown and all the socioeconomic advantages that go with that...and a commitment to the disadvantaged population."
Since UB does not have a university hospital unlike many medical schools, Reynolds thinks it is important to establish buildings that bring many services together in a central location to enhance collaboration.
"One of the conundrums of medical education in Buffalo is in the absence of a university hospital. There are some advantages to having a variety of hospitals involved, but there are also obvious advantages in having a central location where all your faculty can be present," Reynolds said. "We were scattered all around - we had offices in Erie County Medical Center and at various hospitals. We have come together here."
Reynolds explained that a centralized location allows the staff to better treat and serve patients.
"If I see a child that has something that one of my specialty surgeons needs to consult on, I can walk him down the hall rather than arrange for cross-town consultation that probably could not occur on the same day," he said.
The Ira G. Ross Institute houses many different services and is conveniently located next door to the Olmstead Center for the Visually Impaired, which provides services to the blind and visually impaired.
The pediatrics wing was a highlight of the newly constructed institute, which has seen over 150 patients since its opening on Oct. 29.
"We tried to build a place where a kid can come and be a kid," Reynolds said.
The waiting room provides a variety of interactive diversions for children including a video game station, a book reading station and a television.
The exam rooms are tailored to enhance the diagnosis of Strabismus, a condition characterized by crossed or wandering eyes. The diagnosis requires that the child can focus on infinity, accomplished with a 20-foot distance that is effectively infinity, according to Reynolds.
"One of the major things I take care of is strabismus. In the diagnosis, you need long rooms," he said.
The larger rooms also accommodate Buffalo's family-oriented patients since a child's family often accompanies the young patients during exams.
The pediatrics wing was a principle focus of the project because of the prevalence of eye-related problems such as cataracts, glaucoma and amblyopia (lazy eye) in children.
"Statistics are that probably five percent of American children have some form of eye problems," Reynolds said. "It's a huge deal. We see over 100 kids a week and have room for plenty more than that."
The institute also has a state-of-the-art ocular pathology lab that features multi-headed microscopes, high definition plasma televisions that can project microscope images and a surgical simulation room for resident learning.
"I think this is probably one of the nicest pathology labs in the country," Reynolds said.
Pathologists use the lab equipment to determine the root behind a disease, much like what an autopsy does.
With the combination of experienced faculty and the most advanced equipment, Reynolds hopes to put the ophthalmology program on a national scale.
"Our goal is to provide state of the art research to cure eye diseases of tomorrow to provide cutting edge education so that we train the doctors of tomorrow," Reynolds said. "This will be the prime teaching facility for ophthalmology at UB."
According to Reynolds, the project will take a more programmatic turn now.
"Programmatic activities are really more important. This allows us access to state-of-the-art surroundings. What we have to sell here is intellectual - research, education, care that is at the core of advancement in medicine."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
