To firefighter Clay Madrona, his job is his life. “I really donʼt want to think about what Iʼd be doing if I wasnʼt a firefighter,” he says.

But 10 years ago, Clay failed the vision part of his annual physical exam. Eye doctors told him there was no treatment for his disorder. “I pretty much lost hope,” he says.

Enter The Pali Momi Retina Center. Under the care of Dr. Gregg Kokame, Clay underwent a new surgical technique inside his eye. “Clay had a ʻmacular hole,ʼ a hole in the central vision of the retina,” Dr. Kokame says.

The procedure was a success. Clayʼs follow-up visits to Dr. Kokame indicate the eye has remained stable for 10 years (and counting).

“Iʼm passionate about The Pali Momi Retina Center,” Dr. Kokame says, “It keeps up with current techniques in surgery, bringing new research trials and treatments to Hawaiʻi to help patients preserve their vision longer.”