Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island’s Dr. Gerard D’Aversa and his daughter Jaclyn D’Aversa have been selected to be honored by Marchon in their Eye Make A Difference Campaign because of the extraordinary difference they made during their trip to Ghana with Unite for Sight. Click here to view the video.

Dr. Eric Donnenfeld was named the recipient of the 2010 Distinguished Service Award by the Nassau Surgical Society. He was recognized for his professional excellence, generous contributions and leadership within the ophthalmology community. One noted example of his contributions was a trip to Armenia where he performed glaucoma surgery on patients who otherwise didn’t have access to quality eye care. The Nassau Surgical Society described Dr. Donnenfeld’s dignity, grace and humor, and remarked that he “has earned the respect and admiration of his colleagues, family and friends.”

Westbury, NY (December 20, 2011) — Dr. Eric D. Donnenfeld, a Board Certified Ophthalmologist, served as the Ophthalmology moderator and presenter at the December 7 Annual Clinic Day of the Nassau Surgical Society and Brooklyn & Long Island Chapter of The American College of Surgeons. The event took place at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale. Matthew Coffron, Congressional Affairs Associate, Division of Advocacy and Health Policy, American College of Surgeons presented on “Healthcare Policies: Implications for Surgeons & Patients”. The Keynote Speaker of the Luncheon was renowned WFAN Radio Announcer Mike Francesa.

Annual Clinic Day is a continuing education event for the surgeons where new ideas and information can be shared and exchanged. OCLI and its doctors are passionate about teaching others in the ophthalmic field and are able to achieve this mission through this event. Since 1993 Dr. Donnenfeld, a founding partner of Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI), has worked to develop and expand the Society’s Annual Clinic Day.

Founded in 1938, the Nassau Surgical Society’s mission is to advance the surgical knowledge of its members and hold all members to the highest standards of ethics and the delivery of services. It achieves this mission by promoting study and discussion among its members on the science and practice of surgery; encouraging members to present and publish scientific papers related to their surgical specialties; and disseminating information of public interest regarding all aspects of surgery.

Dr. Donnenfeld’s presentation focused on “Femtosecond Laser Refractive Cataract Surgery: The Future is Now”. Several OCLI doctors were also presenters at the meeting. They include Dr. Henry Perry who presented an “Update on DSEK and Femtosecond Astigmatic Incisions after Corneal Transplantation”; Dr. Stanley Berke discussed “Prostaglandin Associated Periorbitopathy (PAP) – Lid and Periorbital Changes from Topical Prostaglandin Drops”; Dr. Ronald Caronia spoke about glaucoma surgery “Canaloplasty: An Alternative to Trabeculectomy” and Dr. Gerard D’Aversa provided “An Introduction to Femtosecond Laser Refractive Cataract Surgery”.

The last program on the day’s agenda was a panel discussion on “Management of Complex Refractive Cataract Cases”. OCLI doctors on the panel were: Robert Broderick, Gerard D’Aversa, and Richard Sturm.

Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island is pleased to announce that Dr. Marguerite McDonald has been selected as an outstanding practicing doctor in New York. After an extensive nomination and research process conducted by Key Professional Media, Inc., the results will be published in New York Super Doctors®, a special advertising section in an upcoming issue of The New York Times Magazine.

Prospective candidates were evaluated in 10 areas of peer recognition and professional achievement, including number of years of experience, honors and awards, academic and leadership positions and board certifications. Dr. McDonald’s professional record was reviewed by a panel of highly regarded fellow surgeons who found her credentials worthy of inclusion on the Super Doctors® 2012 list. The complete list will be published in the May 20, 2012 edition of The New York Times Magazine.

Marguerite McDonald, MD, FACS, is a corneal specialist offering cataract and refractive surgery. For more information about Dr. McDonald, please read her biography or contact Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island.

Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI) recently expanded their practice to the posterior segment by integrating a vitreoretinal subspecialty – a move that will almost certainly prove to be in patients’ best interests. The OCLI leadership team made this decision in order to meet the growing demand for retinal services in the area. OCLI now employs three full-time vitreoretinal specialists who rotate among five of the practice’s Long Island locations and treat retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.

The decision reflects the steady amount of growth that OCLI has experienced since its inception 30 years ago. OCLI is a multispecialty practice, offering a full scope of eye care services, including laser vision correction surgery, cataract treatment, diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma and comprehensive family eye care. The practice has nine offices housing 26 eye doctors and sees an average of 150,000 patients per year.

Adding a retina subspecialty to the practice is beneficial for several reasons. It makes OCLI attractive to a new market of patients seeking the medical or surgical management of their retinal disorders. OCLI is aptly equipped to deal with the influx of referrals, thanks to management and existing infrastructure. The current patient base benefits, too; should they find themselves in need of a retinal specialist, they can return to the same office, work with the same familiar technicians and office staff and maintain one medical record. The coordination of care between general ophthalmologist and specialist moves smoothly, thanks to top-of-the-line software and communication between personnel.

Special considerations were made prior to incorporating retinal specialists into the team. Expanding the team required an up-front investment and physical resources like imaging modalities, storage equipment, software integration and individual treatments. However, since the decision was strategically planned and carefully executed, it is the hope of the entire OCLI team that it will end up yielding dividends over time, in terms of expanding to a new market, offering more comprehensive care to the existing patient base and increasing revenue that can fund future growth endeavors.

For more information about OCLI’s recent expansion, please click here. To learn more about the practice or to schedule an eye exam, please visit their website at www.ocli.net or call (866) SEE-OCLI.

Dr. Anzhelika Vaccaro and staff from OCLI’s Port Jefferson and Stony Brook offices provided free vision screenings for glaucoma and cataracts on August 20^th at the Community Health Expo 2011. OCLI was one of several organizations providing health screenings at the free expo which took place at the Coram Fire Department in Coram. The Expo was sponsored by Legislator Sarah Anker, Councilwoman Connie Kepert, in conjunction with Lakeview Rehabilitation and Care Center. In the photo Councilwoman Kepert (right) is being screened by Dr. Vaccaro. Dr. Vaccaro and OCLI staff performed about 20 vision and glaucoma screenings at the event. Participating in this workshop is one way Dr. Vaccaro, a resident of Mt. Sinai, gives back to the community in which she lives and works

Dr. Anzhelika Vaccaro of Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI) participated as a guest speaker and vision expert at a workshop for the Suffolk County Department of Health’s Steppin On program.  Steppin On is a program that empowers older adults to carry out health behaviors that reduce the risks of falls, improve self management, and increase quality of life. 

 On August 18^th, Dr. Vaccaro spoke to seniors at Sienna Village in Smithtown. Her presentation focused on overall precautions to take regarding vision and age-related conditions. She also discussed cataracts, cataract surgery, age-related macular degeneration, floaters and low vision. This community-based workshop was one of several offered over the course of seven weeks using adult education and self-efficacy principals. 

 Dr. Vaccaro is a board certified ophthalmologist and a fellowship trained glaucoma specialist. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biology at Hunter College in New York, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Dr. Vaccaro received her Medical degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate College of Medicine followed by an internship at the Staten Island University Hospital and an ophthalmology residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). She then served a Fellowship in Glaucoma at the prestigious New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.

 Dr. Vaccaro worked as a Physician Assistant in Pediatrics for a private practice and later as a Research Assistant at the Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University. She has participated in several research studies and is a proud member of Sigma XI, the Scientific Research Society. Dr. Vaccaro has written several articles and co-authored a book chapter. Dr. Vaccaro has volunteered her time helping patients at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Hospital. She is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Medical Association, the American Medical Student Association and the American College of Physicians, also known as the American College of Internal Medicine.

 Dr. Vaccaro is a former professional figure-skater trained at the Ukrainian School of Figure-Skating. She is fluent in both spoken and written Russian. Dr. Vaccaro works out of OCLI’s Port Jefferson and Stony Brook offices.

Dr. Daniel Kiernan of Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI) participated as a guest speaker and vision expert at a workshop for the Suffolk County Department of Health’s Stepping On program.  Stepping On is a program that empowers older adults to carry out health behaviors that reduce the risks of falls, improve self management, and increase quality of life. 

 Dr. Kiernan spoke to seniors at Siena Village in Smithtown. His presentation focused on Vision, Blindness and Maintaining Your Ocular Health. He also discussed Cataracts, Glaucoma and Age-Related Macular Degeneration. This community-based workshop was one of several offered over the course of seven weeks using adult education and self-efficacy principals. 

 Dr. Daniel Kiernan recently joined OCLI as an associate physician specializing in medical and surgical diseases of the retina, vitreous and macula.  He was recently awarded the Raymond R. Margherio Research Award from the Retina Society. This prestigious award, given for outstanding original research or surgery on macular disease, was presented to Dr. Kiernan at the Society’s annual meeting in September 2010 and has already been acknowledged at both the Macula Society and The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meetings.

 Dr. Kiernan graduated from the University of Chicago with his Bachelor’s degree in Biology. He received his medical degree from Chicago Medical School/Rosalind Franklin University in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Kiernan completed his ophthalmology residency at The University of Chicago Hospitals, Pritzker School of Medicine. He is currently completing his vitreo-retinal surgical fellowship at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary.

 Dr. Kiernan works in several OCLI office locations including Stony Brook, Port Jefferson, Lynbrook, Rockville Centre.