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It has been eight years since five prominent ophthalmologists in Tyler grouped together to form EyeCare
Associates. In less than a decade, EyeCare Associates has grown into the area’s premier regional eye care center.
Currently with fourteen doctors and over a hundred employees plus satellite offices in Athens, Jacksonville,
Lindale and Winnsboro, EyeCare Associates is strategically positioned to serve the growing East Texas population in every
phase of family eye care. With thousands of successful cataract and Lasik surgeries, we’ve given patients from all over East
Texas a second chance at seeing the beauty of life. |
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 Dr. Clayton Whitney grew up in Tyler
and is a graduate of Robert E. Lee High School.
He is a summa cum laude graduate of Texas
Christian University where he was selected for membership in Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated
from the University of Texas Southwestern
Medical School and was elected to the Alpha
Omega Alpha honorary medical fraternity in his
junior year. He completed an Internship in
Internal Medicine at Harvard’s Brigham and
Women’s hospital and a Residency in
Ophthalmology at The University of Texas
Health Science Center in San Antonio. This was
followed by a Fellowship in Cornea and External Disease at the Wilmer Eye Institute of
the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. In 1986, Dr. Whitney returned to his hometown of
Tyler to take over the practice of G. William
Burch in 1994. After returning from a national
seminar, he convened a meeting of local
ophthalmologists that led to the formation of
EyeCare Associates.
Dr. Whitney is Board Certified by The
American Board of Ophthalmology. He is a
Fellow of The American Academy of
Ophthalmology and The American College of
Surgeons. He is a member of the American
Medical Association, the Texas Medical
Association and the Attending Medical Staff of
East Texas Medical Center and Trinity Mother
Frances Hospital. He is also a Clinical
Associate Professor of Southwestern Medical
School.
Dr. Whitney has been married to Beth
Whitney for 25 years and they have three
children, Russell, 19, Stewart, 16 and Clair 10.
Russell is a freshman engineering major at
Oklahoma University. Stewart is a junior at
Tyler Lee and Clair is in the 4th grade at All
Saint’s School.
Dr. Whitney’s special interests include
Lasik surgery, small incision cataract surgery,
corneal transplantation, and medical and laser glaucoma therapy. In addition to being a busy physician, Dr. Whitney has taught
ophthalmology residents at Parkland Hospital in
Dallas on the third Friday of each month for
over 16 years.
 Age related macular degeneration (ARMD) remains the number one cause
of vision loss. About 10% of people with ARMD have the “wet” kind with leaking,
bleeding blood vessels under the retina, also called exudative ARMD. 90% of
severe vision loss is associated with wet or exudative ARMD. Risk factors for
ARMD are diverse and include genetics, family history, hypertension, low
antioxidant intake, white race, and cigarette smoking.
Real treatments for ARMD began in 1981 with the use of thermal lasers to
cauterize leaking blood vessels. In 1999, photodynamic therapy (PDT) began and remains an excellent treatment today alone or in combination with newer
modalities. In 2001 AREDS, a large study of antioxidant use in ARMD patients,
showed a 25% decrease in the rate of advancement of severe macular degeneration
compared to ARMD patients not taking the antioxidants. Finally, in 2004, Macugen
for intraocular injection came to the market with good results. However, the drug
requires frequent injections (every 6 weeks) and is expensive. About the same time,
anecortave acetate came on to the market and worked to inhibit the growth of
abnormal blood vessels under the retina.
A new revolution is now taking place in ARMD care using drugs that reduce
a substance called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF causes the
growth of blood vessels and its acton can be blocked by a drug called Avastin
which is specially designed antibody which blocks the action of VEGF. Originally
used against metastatic colon cancers, it has been found to be effective in inhibiting
the growth of blood vessels in the eye as occurs in exudative ARMD. Use of
Avastin in this manner is called “off-label” because it has not been FDA approved
for this. However, the FDA allows such use when scientific study and rationale
suggest a significant benefit for patients. The latest results reported show good
results for patients with exudative ARMD with many maintaining and even
improving their vision with Avastin therapy, some for months or even years.
Genentech, the company that makes Avastin also is producing a drug called
Lucentis for the same use. In fact, Lucentis is part of the Avastin molecule and has
the same effect as its parent. It is not FDA approved at this time either. Results
appear to be similar. The big difference from patient and insurance point of view is
Lucentis is far more expensive. Time will tell which of these wonderful new drugs
will give the best results. Meanwhile, in the retina community, there is excitement
about these drugs used in combination with the other modalities mentioned above.
Only in America can miracles like this happen over and over! Remember it
was only around 1940 that penicillin became available. In all of preceding
history, mankind just went blind, died, or lived in a state of poor health because of the lack of medicines. Thank your stars you live in such a great country and in
a time period where you might be the recipient of these inventive, sight saving
medicines.
An exciting new development in eye care is the availability of iris registration with the VISX laser for our Lasik patients. We are proud to be the first to offer this technology in North Texas. Available only for Custom Vue treatments, 24 iris landmarks are matched between the wave scan infrared images and infrared camera images obtained by cameras on the laser. Not only is there better accuracy for correction of astigmatism, but better centration of the flap. This occurs by correction for the change in the pupillary center with different pupil sizes. Iris registration has the potential to enhance the already outstanding outcomes of Custom Vue Technology. We continue to feel the VISX laser is unsurpassed on outcomes, reproducibility, and reliability.
 EyeCare Associates is proud to introduce Dr.
Valerie Mace as our new optometrist for Athens, TX.
She will be there full time beginning this August.
Dr. Mace is a therapeutic optometrist and
optometric glaucoma specialist. Prior to optometry
school, she received a Bachelor of Science at Texas
A&M University. She recently graduated in the top
5% of her class with Summa Cum Laude honors from
the University of Houston College Of Optometry. She
was elected to Beta Sigma Kappa for her outstanding
educational accomplishments and inducted into the
Gold Key Leadership Society.
Part of her education included an internship
working with specialists in retina, cornea, cataract and
refractive surgery, and glaucoma. Furthermore, she has had training in fitting
soft, gas permeable, and specialty contact lenses. She is passionate about caring
for people of all ages and has also worked in low vision and pediatrics.
During school, Dr. Mace has been very involved in her profession and the
community. She served as secretary of the Student Texas Optometric
Association, volunteered with Special Olympics, and has done mission work with
the Fellowship of Christian Optometrists group.
On a personal note, Dr. Mace grew up in a small town in West Texas and
enjoys running, golf, skiing, and scuba diving in her free time. She is looking
forward to being near her sister and her family who live in Lindale, TX.
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