Our vision is your Sight...........

Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults 20-74 years old. Diabetic retinopathy causes 12,000 to 24,000 new cases of blindness each year among the approximately 18 million Americans with the disease. It is estimated that 6 million are not even aware that they have it. Only one half of those with undiagnosed diabetes receive appropriate eye care, so it is not surprising that diseases of the retina associated with diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness in working-age adults.

Damien Luviano MD, specialist in ophthalmology, joined SETMA to address these problems. Dr. Luviano comes from Los Angeles, CA, where he has worked the past three years in the Los Angeles County medical system treating a large diabetic retinopathy population. He brings with him surgical retinal laser skills that may prevent blindness through such procedures as panretinal photocoagulation, focal macular laser, and intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factors. In addition, he will be performing complete eye exams and refractions for our patients and their families. He will also carry out advanced testing and screening for age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. An additional specialty is cataract surgery, which he performs in the Beaumont Surgical Center and Hermann Memorial Baptist in Beaumont, TX.

DAMIEN LUVIANO, MD BACKGROUND

Dr. Luviano grew up in Houston, graduated from the Debakey High School for Health Professions, and served in the United States Army. He graduated with honors from The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas where he earned numerous awards and scholarships. He completed an internship in general surgery in Dallas and an ophthalmology residency in Los Angeles. While a resident, he was awarded the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Excellence in Research Resident and Fellow Scholarship and served as a chief resident. He is currently enrolled in a medical retina fellowship in Houston. In 2007, Dr. Luviano was recognized as one of Americas Top Surgeons in ophthalmic surgery by Consumers Research Council of America. His clinical and research interests in diabetic retinopathy and merging technology with medicine have resulted in published papers, abstracts, and relevant medical software. Dr. Luviano is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Medical Association, ORBIS, and the American Diabetes Association. He is fluent in English and Spanish and lectures about eye diseases on television and radio in both languages. In his spare time he enjoys photography and being with his family: wife, Sonia, a corporate financial analyst, and their two daughters: Crystal, age 15, currently in the 10th grade, and Hannah, age 5, who is in kindergarten.