PHYSICIAN SPOTLIGHT: Matt Hughes, OD


 

For upstate New York native, Matthew Hughes, some insightful advice from his father led him to a career helping others maintain their sight. Rather than being a traditional eye care clinic, the Hughes Eye Center in Jackson, focuses on managing and treating advanced ocular and surgical needs of patients. His patient-centered model for his practice, dedication to patients and the optometry profession has even earned him top honors from the state’s leading optometry organization. In 2012, out of 1100 practicing optometrists in the state of Tennessee, Hughes was named The Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians Optometrist of the year. He has also been named top eye doctor by the Jackson Sun’s Readers Choice Awards. Many optometrists’ practices are built on performing primary eye health examinations and prescribing eyeglasses. Instead of concentrating on the basic elements of eye care, Hughes limits his practice to the treatment and management of medical and surgical eye disease, including glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and traumatic eye conditions. “Rather than competing with medical and optometric practices, we accept referrals from other providers when they have a patient with an advanced eye care need. Our practice centers on strong communications between eye care and medical providers,” said Hughes. Because the South has a high incidence of hypertension and diabetes that can lead to eye disease, the area is riddled with it. “We have about 75 optometrists that refer patients to our clinics and about 70 percent of my practice is glaucoma, but there is still a high preponderance of other eye diseases for us to treat,” said Hughes. “We treat patients like family, but realize and respect the important relationship they have with their local eye doctor and medical providers. As a result, we have worked to become a trusted partner for providers throughout the region who want to offer the highest quality medical eye care for their patients.”Hughes found his way to the South during his residency and fellowship training. His undergraduate degree in Biology/Pre-Med is from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Based on advice from his father, Hughes chose to pursue optometry and went to Chicago for his training at The Illinois College of Optometry and Illinois Eye Institute in Chicago. “My dad recommended the eye profession because it was not directly dependent on the economy,” said Hughes. “He said people would always need to see no matter what the market is doing. He also encouraged me to have a good life and always provide for my family, which was good advice. I went to a medical-based eye school, which was in Chicago. While doing external rotations at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital there, I realized I wanted to expand my knowledge of advanced ocular disease. Which meant several years of additional training after optometry school.”Hughes moved south to Memphis to complete a one-year residency and two-year fellowship in advanced ocular disease and pathology through the Southern College of Optometry. “In the early 1990’s, there were only 54 residencies in the country for advanced ocular disease with about 1000 applicants, so you really don’t have a lot of say in where you go. If you get in, that is where you land,” said Hughes. “In my post-graduate training I worked at Omega Eye Care Center in Jackson, Tennessee.”After completing his fellowship, Hughes remained at Omega Eye Care. While there he was the first therapeutic OD in the state certified in the delivery of ocular injection and injectable agents. He also was the clinical instructor for the state of Tennessee and Mississippi’s advanced ocular disease, glaucoma certification and ocular injection course. Besides being the center director for Omega, he also served as regional vice president for Omega Health Systems before going out on his own. In 2001, he opened the Hughes Eye Center. Today, in addition to the main location in Jackson, the center has locations in McKenzie, Dyersburg, Savannah, Lexington, Huntingdon, and Selmer, Tenn. Besides Hughes, the staff includes two additional residency trained optometrists who evaluate, manage and treat ocular disease and pathology. The center also offers cataract surgeries, LASIK and other laser surgical procedures, performed by David Underwood, MD. Specialty services offered include oculoplastic surgery and retina specialists. Growing up in rural upstate New York, Hughes was an avid snow skier and hockey player, playing all four years and the captain of the team in his junior and senior years at Allegheny College. While West Tennessee does not offer much hope for skiing or playing ice hockey, Hughes has found solace in running, working out and golf. Although a long way from home, Hughes still roots for his Buffalo Bills and satisfies his love for hockey with a Nashville Predators game when he can. “I also try to get back up North when I can in search for powder snow skiing,” he said. With two boys, Hughes and his wife Marigene, stay busy running from game to game during the baseball season. “Logan, a senior at USJ, has started on the Varsity team three of his four years in high school and is considering playing baseball in college,” said Hughes. “Our other son, Colby, plays for the Coyote travel baseball team and also enjoys playing basketball, so we are rarely without a game to go to.”

 
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