Megan Webber, Co-founder of KnowTheGlow (KTG), recently had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Min Kim, a distinguished retinal specialist and ocular oncologist at Gangnam Severance Hospital in Seoul, Korea. This meeting was particularly timely and significant given the current awareness campaign underway in Korea.
Dr. Min Kim holds several notable positions. He is not only a specialist in retinal detachment, macular degeneration, and ocular cancers but also serves as a Professor at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul. His academic journey began at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, where he completed his undergraduate studies before returning to Korea to attend medical school at Yonsei University College of Medicine. He returned to the United States to do a fellowship in ocular oncology at Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia under the illustrious Dr Carol Shields. Megan told Dr. Shields of her meeting with Dr. Min , Dr. Shields said that he “is one of the most courageous leaders in Ocular Oncology… He is a true clinician-academician and is already a superstar in our field.” Ocular oncology is not a popular field in Korea, and Dr. Kim was most likely the first to pursue an official certified fellowship in this specialty. Unfortunately, there are no rural outreach efforts, and school screenings are often conducted by staff lacking in-depth knowledge of ocular conditions.
Having attended the International Society of Ocular Oncology (ISOO) conference in the Netherlands, Dr Kim’s global experiences have only strengthened his resolve to improve pediatric ocular health, particularly in Korea. He believes that campaigns like KnowTheGlow are crucial for raising awareness both locally and globally. Dr. Kim highlighted several challenges facing the medical community in Korea. According to him, there is a shortage of doctors and ophthalmologists who are knowledgeable about pediatric ocular conditions. Six years ago, he decided to specialize in ocular oncology because no one was focusing on young patients with conditions like Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), Retinoblastoma (RB), and Coats Disease, or adult patients with melanomas. Unfortunately, by the time these patients reached his clinic, they were often in very late stages of their conditions, where enucleation was the only option.
To address this gap, Dr. Kim took an initiative to offer an instruction course at the annual Korean Ophthalmological Society meeting to educate and share knowledge about ocular cancers among professionals. Inspired by his mentor, Carol Shields, who offers general ophthalmology courses in the US, Dr. Kim started teaching similar classes in Korea. Initially, attendance was low, but over the years, he has seen a growing interest and awareness, though he acknowledges that there is still much work to be done.
One of Dr. Kim’s major concerns is the lack of nonprofit organizations in Korea that provide financial and emotional support to families dealing with pediatric ocular conditions. He often speaks with families who express significant psychological stress. A survey conducted by Carol Shields six years ago highlighted the immense psychological burden these families endure during treatment. Dr. Kim, who spent several years studying and working in the US, values the lessons he learned from Shields and strives to implement similar support systems in Korea.
In Korea, social media platforms differ from those used globally, making it challenging to reach out to families in need. Many patients find their way to Dr. Kim through symptoms like leukocoria (a white reflex in the eye) or strabismus (wandering eye), often after consulting one or two other doctors, in most cases a pediatric ophthalmologist. Some parents, aware of the hereditary nature of RB, seek out ocular oncologists for screening.
Dr. Kim’s educational efforts extend to university presentations where he covers differential diagnoses of conditions like Coats Disease and RB, ensuring that general ophthalmologists can recognize and understand various ocular issues. He emphasizes that school screenings in Korea typically only involve basic measurements, and the significance of leukocoria is often overlooked. By raising awareness of “the Glow,” Dr. Kim hopes to facilitate earlier detection and treatment, potentially saving lives and preserving vision.
Dr. Kim performs intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) and systemic chemotherapy, following protocols learned from Dr. Shields at Wills Eye Institute. Despite the challenges, he is committed to his dual role of treating patients and educating future doctors to care for RB and other pediatric eye problems.
Dr. Min Kim’s dedication to his patients and the field of ocular oncology is deeply personal. The only doctor in his family, he always aspired to contribute to society through medicine. He feels blessed to be trusted by his patients and remains grateful for the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on their lives.
Megan Webber and KnowTheGlow are honored to support Dr. Kim in his mission to raise awareness and improve pediatric ocular health in Korea and beyond.
