Clearer Vision in Seconds

Poor eyesight conditions can be reversed by laser refractive surgery that is now accurate, painless and precise.

- Anna Isabel C. Sobrepena

Brilliant colors and details of Batanes are inescapable against the ascetic walls of the eye institute in St. Luke’s Medical Center. The photographs, which might have been the professional work of a seasoned lens man, were taken by Dr. Irwin Cua, head of the Vision Laser Center in the Global City hospital. “I like taking photos of the natural landscape,” says the boyish looking ophthalmologist. “I visualize the lines and geometric shapes that make up the terrain. It is like seeing the landscape in abstract form and trying to capture it with a different visual perspective.”

Photography became a passion way back when he was still a college student. He used film camera and worked in a dark room to develop and print his black and white photos. Traveling afforded the opportunity to indulge his creative bent. “I make sure I have my camera when I go to a new place,” he says. “I try to get the vibe of each destination and the atmosphere so that photos resonate the genuine character of the place.” The results of his photographic documentation have been published and exhibited, the most recent of which was at the Center of fine Arts photography in fort Collins, Colorado.

COMPASSION AND COMPETENCE

Dr. Cua, who also heads the Cornea and external eye Diseases in the eye institute both in St. Luke’s Global City and Quezon City, considers himself primarily a visual person. He engages the world with a keen sense of sight and imagination, which predisposed him not just to photography but also to the particular medical field in which he has been practicing for the last 15 years. “I have always been fascinated by how the eye functions,” he says matter-of-factly.