Ever since he first peered inside an eye as a third year medical student, Dr. Snow knew he had a longing to be an ophthalmologist. “It was so beautiful, so interesting, almost other-worldly; unlike anything I had been previously exposed to in medicine. I also loved how one could look inside an eye and discover information about the overall health of the patient; it was fascinating.”
Born and raised in New York City, Dr. Snow left for the bucolic beauty of the Berkshire Mountains to attend Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., consistently ranked as the premier liberal arts college in the country. Dr. Snow graduated cum laude from Williams, and was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society.
Dr Snow returned to New York City for his medical training, and received his M.D. degree from New York University School of Medicine. He also completed his three year ophthalmology residency at NYU, serving as a chief resident during his final year. After residency training, he completed a one-year fellowship in medical retina at NYU, with extensive exposure to diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and other hereditary retinal diseases.
Dr. Snow finds that one of the most enjoyable and interesting aspects of ophthalmology is the integration of one's overall health and its presentation in the eye. Not only are there diseases specific to the eye, such as cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration, but most any systemic disease can potentially present itself during an eye exam. “Occasionally, I'll be able to tell a patient something about their past medical history of which they were unaware.”
Dr. Snow recommends patients have routine complete eye exams, even if they have never had any ocular problems, as some treatable eye diseases may remain without symptoms until late in their course. With proper diagnosis and treatment, potentially blinding conditions can be prevented. “Glaucoma is a good example of an eye disease which is usually very well controlled if diagnosed in time. It is generally a slow, painless, insidious loss of vision, initially peripherally, only affecting one's central vision late in its stages. We have a number of different ways of evaluating the eye to detect this potentially blinding disease, and preserve one's vision.”
Dr. Snow has practiced in Annapolis for over 18 years. He continues to enjoy the patient interaction it provides, and avoids the “assembly line” approach sometimes associated with eye exams. “I have worked in offices where the physician has only several minutes to spend with each patient; I aim to achieve more personalized care.” He also welcomes urgent care exams and provides services for the newly established Anne Arundel Community Health Center.
Dr. Snow is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, with maintenance of certification. “Ophthalmology is a wonderful medical specialty in that it oft en offers great satisfaction in being able to preserve and restore sight.”
Q: Are the eyes really the window to the soul?
A: While a complete eye exam cannot truly allow a view of one’s soul, it can offer a physician information regarding the overall health of a patient. While there are diseases specific to the eye, virtually any disease can potentially be detected within the eye. Occasionally, an eye exam will be the first discovery of an otherwise unknown systemic disease.
— Jeremy Snow, MD
