FIRST CATARACT SURGERY SINCE 1997
WICKENBURG, AZ – April 23, 2019, Wickenburg Community Hospital (WCH) expands Surgical Center Services to include eye surgery. WCH is pleased to announce that they have expanded their partnership with Dr. Richard Kootman, MD, founder and Medical Director of the Arrowhead Eye Center, to include eye surgery. As a Board-Certified Ophthalmologist, Corneal Specialist and Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Dr. Kootman performed the town’s first cataract surgery yesterday at the Wickenburg Community Hospital Surgical Center since 1997 with resounding success.
Dr. Kootman graduated from Tulane University and went on to receive his Medical Degree from LSU School of Medicine. His residency was completed in Ophthalmology at the Tulane Medical Center, he then furthered his experience with fellowship training in corneal disease, corneal transplantation, and refractive surgery at the St. Louis University Medical Center. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and member of the Phoenix Ophthalmologic Society and Arizona Ophthalmologic Society. As an experienced anterior segment surgeon, Dr. Kootman was the first in Arizona to perform a newer technique in corneal transplantation called, DSEK. He specializes in complex cataract surgeries, pterygium surgery, corneal transplants, as well as, LASIK Vision Correction. He is also a clinical instructor at the Midwestern School of Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona where he frequently lectures on cataract and refractive surgery.
Wickenburg Community Hospital first partnered with Dr. Kootman in 1995 when he began traveling to Wickenburg twice a month to provide much needed eye care services to the community. Twenty-four years later, Dr. Kootman is now performing cataract and pterygium surgery at the Wickenburg Community Hospital Surgical Center. His first cataract surgeries at this facility since 1997 took place yesterday due in large part to the state-of-the-art surgical equipment now available in the WCH Surgical Center. Six Wickenburg residents received the surgery which takes ten to fifteen minutes to complete. Unlike traditional cataract surgery, Dr. Kootman’s technique is performed with topical anesthetic requiring no stitches, no needles and no recovery eye patches. The response has been overwhelmingly positive with all patients reporting a drastic improvement in vision, no discomfort and no down time. “It is such a pleasure to be able to offer the residents of Wickenburg the option of having cataract and pterygium surgeries performed right here in the community.” said Dr. Kootman.
Dr. Kootman is actively seeing patients inside the Wickenburg Community Hospital, Arthur & Gail Ditto Specialty Clinic Building located at 519 Rose Lane, Wickenburg, AZ 85390. For more information please call 928-684-0432
A nonprofit organization established in 1926, Wickenburg Community Hospital and Community Clinics in Wickenburg, Wittman and Congress are committed to providing quality health and wellness services where the patient, family and community come first. Wickenburg Community Hospital is federally designated as a Critical Access Hospital and state designated as a Level IV Trauma Center supporting the needs of residents and surrounding rural communities within approximately 3,300 square miles with state-of-the-art diagnostic, surgical and healthcare services.
# # #
