Physician reflects on 'renaissance' of eye care
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| Dr. Price, standing in his early crop of corn, is looking forward to growing all sorts of vegetables, now that he is retired. |
“I like to think that I lived through the renaissance of ophthalmology – from the dark age of treatments to this enlightenment,” says Dr. Price. “And I know it’s not over.”
A medical graduate of the University of Arkansas Medical School, Dr. Price thought he would enter the field of radiology. He then spent the next three years in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss. A friend he met there convinced him to look into the developing field of ophthalmology.
“The day I remember most was when I told the radiology guys that I wasn’t going to accept the radiology fellowship,” says Dr. Price. “From the Air Force I applied for an ophthalmology residency and was accepted by Duke.”
Dr. Price had no intentions of settling in Jackson, until a friend from Arkansas, Dr. Don Lewis, convinced him and his wife to stop by on their way home from North Carolina. “Our first night here was when the symphony was playing on the grounds of Lambuth,” he says. “It seemed like a good place to raise a family with the values you want your kids to have. So this is where we set our roots in 1969.”
Dr. Price joined Dr. Ben House, who had started his practice in 1963. Eventually, their practice, the Eye Clinic, would become the largest ophthalmology clinic in the area.
As ophthalmology went through some major changes in the past 35 years, Dr. Price played a role in bringing those changes to the Jackson area. For example, in the early ‘70s, Dr. Price learned about a new lens implant for cataracts. At the time, patients with cataracts removed had to wear thick glasses to see.
“It looked like lens implants would be the wave of the future,” he says. “I bought a plane ticket and flew to Brussels to see Dr. C.D. Binkhorst, the doctor who knew the most about the new lens procedure. In 1975, with fear and trepidation, I did the first cataract surgery with implant in Jackson.” He still remembers his first patient.
He also has seen the progression of treating refractive errors, from early radial keratotomy (RK) to lasers today. “Now it’s all common place,” he says. “It’s constantly getting better. I think I’ve lived through the transition of ophthalmology. It’s gone from ‘get the spec out of my eye’ to ‘redo my eye so I can see anything I want to see for the rest of my life.’ ”
Retirement has been on Dr. Price’s mind since Dr. House retired a few years ago. “About three to four years ago I started to cut back my time,” says Dr. Price. “I purposefully waited until the spring to retire so that I could get outside. I’ve gone from playing golf a couple times a year to a couple times a week now.” He also has other interests he intends on pursuing. “I love to garden. I’ve tried every known vegetable.”
Dr. Price’s wife, who collects antiques, has sparked her husband’s interest in collecting inkwells since she first began giving them to him as gifts years ago.
Dr. Price also is looking forward to spending more time with family. He and his wife have three children and five grandchildren. He also plans to do community volunteer work.
Dr. Price has only been retired for a few months. “What I miss most is seeing the people I’ve been treating for the past 30-35 years,” he says. He doesn’t miss, however, the stress of being on call or even having to meet a daily schedule.
“I can be about as inefficient as I want to be now,” he says, “because nobody is depending on me to do anything. I know there will always be tomorrow to finish what I didn’t get done today.”