Ocular Pathology

Ocular pathology is the study of the diseases of the eye and its orbit. Ocular pathology provides the foundation of understanding from which advances in ophthalmic medicine are made.

The Florida Lions Ocular Pathology Laboratory

The Florida Lions Ocular Pathology Laboratory, located in Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, operates solely for the study of ophthalmic pathology material. The laboratory receives tissue from surgeries performed at Bascom Palmer, other sites in Florida and the Southeast United States, as well as from Central and South America. Over 2000 surgical specimens are processed each year including over 250 globes, and wide variety of conjunctival, corneal, orbital, lid and intraocular lesions. Additionally, the archive of glass slides, consisting of over 50,000 cases is available for examination, teaching and research activities. Additionally, in suspected cases of abuse and trauma, eyes are evaluated from medical examiners.

The laboratory has access to immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, flow cytometry, and molecular diagnostic techniques.

All referred tissues are reviewed and processed completely free of charge, a tradition begun when the laboratory was founded in unique association with the Florida Lions Eye Bank. For submission of tissue, referring physicians may call 305-326-6356.

The Work of the Pathology Laboratory

One of only fifteen or so such laboratories nationwide, the Bascom Palmer ocular pathology lab is a comprehensive source of tissue evaluation as well as of teaching and learning. It is one of the busiest in the country and the only ocular pathology lab in South Florida.

In addition to tissue evaluation in the laboratory, the eye pathology department trains ophthalmology residents in ocular pathology. This gives residents a clear understanding of what they see in the clinic when they evaluate eye diseases and disorders on a microscopic level. When residents examine specimens from a patient's eye, they also may replicate a clinical examination to correlate laboratory observations with clinical observations.

Tissues and slides are submitted by faculty members and physicians in the local community, the surrounding region, and elsewhere. The medical director and resident physicians process and evaluate these materials in the laboratory and promptly fax or mail a report to the clinician. An on-site collection of more than 50,000 specimens, including glass slides and paraffin blocks, is used for research and teaching.

Teaching in the Ocular Pathology Laboratory

The pathology laboratory is an integral part of Bascom Palmer's residency training program. First-year residents spend four months on the service and return for two months in their second year. In the ocular pathology laboratory, Bascom Palmer professors and students use a multi-headed microscope, which is ideal for teaching and learning. In addition, under the supervision of an ophthalmic pathologist, residents perform gross exams on tissue samples after grand rounds and write up their laboratory findings.

Residents learn about ocular anatomy and ocular disease by studying all current laboratory cases as well as teaching cases in the files. A fellowship in ocular pathology was initiated in 2002.

The medical director of the Ocular Pathology Laboratory at the Florida Lions Eye Bank is Dr. Sander Dubovy, an assistant professor of ophthalmology and specialist in both ocular pathology and the study of the retina. Dr. Dubovy is board certified in ophthalmology and anatomic pathology. In addition to his responsibilities at the ocular pathology lab and the eye bank, Dr. Dubovy treats Bascom Palmer patients with vitreoretinal disorders.

After a fellowship in ophthalmic pathology at the Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and a two-year residency at Columbia University's Department of Pathology, Dr. Dubovy served as a special fellow at the Department of Ophthalmic Pathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. He completed his training in the medical retina division of The Moorfields Eye Hospital, Institute of Ophthalmology, University of London.

Dr. Dubovy has completed a complex certification process and is a member of the Association of Eye Pathologists, New York State Society of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Clinical Pathology, and College of American Pathologists. Dr. Dubovy was awarded the Harvey Z. Klein Award for Excellence in Patient Care at the University of Chicago.

As medical director of the Florida Lions Eye Bank, Dr. Dubovy ensures that all operations are in compliance with federal and state regulations. The important work of the ocular pathology lab includes evaluation of tissue samples from patients at Bascom Palmer, as well as from outside of the institute.

When an ophthalmology patient undergoes surgery, any eye tissue that is removed is sent to the ocular pathology laboratory for evaluation. When the material arrives, it is examined, described, sectioned, and photographed. Pathologists and their assistants look at cancers of the eyelids, conjunctival cancers, intraocular tumors, lymphomas, inflammations, corneal disease, and whole eyes. After the comprehensive evaluation is complete, a written report of the laboratory findings and diagnosis is sent back to the referring physician.

Ophthalmic Pathology Fellowship

The Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is offering a one year funded fellowship in ophthalmic pathology. The fellowship will evaluate all specimens that are received in the laboratory and will be expected to engage in new and ongoing research projects. Graduates of accredited programs in ophthalmology or pathology as well as pre-residency candidates will be considered. A combined fellowship in a clinical ophthalmologic subspecialty at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute may be arranged for qualified candidates. For additional information about the Florida Lions, www.fleb.org.

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