Dr. John Wittpenn, a partner with Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI), takes a moment to be photographed with Father Frank Pizzarelli, director of Hope House Ministries, in front of the new OCLI office building in Port Jefferson during the grand opening ceremony.

OCLI, one of the largest ophthalmology practices in the nation, consists of 23 eye specialists representing most specialties in ophthalmology in 7 locations throughout Long Island; in Rockville Centre, Lynbrook, Valley Stream, Stony Brook, Manhasset, East Meadow and Port Jefferson. OCLI also has a research department that is involved in FDA studies to improve the treatment and diagnosing of ophthalmic diseases. For more information, please call 1-866-SEE-OCLI (1-866-733-6254) or visit http://www.ocli.net.

Port Jefferson, NY (July 19, 2010) — Despite the economic downturn, Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI) is expanding by opening their seventh office on Monday, July 19 in Port Jefferson.  A grand opening ceremony and ribbon cutting will take place at 11am followed by a tour of the new office. In addition to office personnel, the new OCLI office will be staffed by Dr. John Wittpenn and Dr. Jack Oats.  Dr. John Wittpenn is a Board Certified Ophthalmologist with more than 13 years of experience as a refractive surgeon, cataract surgeon and corneal specialist and a partner of OCLI.  Dr. Oats is a Board Certified Ophthalmologist specializing in general ophthalmology, cataract surgery and refractive surgery. In August, a third ophthalmologist, Dr. Anzhelika Vaccaro, will join the group. Dr. Vaccaro is a board certified ophthalmologist and a fellowship trained glaucoma specialist.

OCLI’s office is located in the North Shore Professional Center at 125 Oakland Avenue, Suite 101 in Port Jefferson.  The North Shore Professional Center is part of a three building medical campus that is located directly across from John T. Mather Memorial Hospital and close to St. Charles Hospital, Stony Brook Hospital and University, the Long Island Railroad, public transportation and major roadways.

Michael Vittoria, President and CEO of The First National Bank of Long Island, stated, “We are confident OCLI will be a meaningful addition to the Port Jefferson community, providing exceptional medical care. Their approach to serving patients and the community is a model to emulate and we are proud to have a business relationship with this well-regarded practice. “

“OCLI is excited to be opening its newest, state of the art facility in Port Jefferson,” said Dr. John Wittpenn, who will be working in the new office location in addition to his office in Stony Brook. “It will allow us to better serve our patients along the North Shore. It will expand our ability to deliver cutting edge care for our cataract and glaucoma patients.”

State Senator Kenneth LaValle was on hand to celebrate the opening of OCLI’s seventh location in Port Jefferson. He participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony and added, “Dr. Wittpenn and his colleagues at Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island provide quality eye care for their patients, and we’re glad that they have come into the Port Jefferson community, opened a state-of-the art facility, and have made an investment of time, talent and resources here.”

Assemblyman Steve Englebright, who was also present, said “We hear a lot of negatives everyday in the news about how small businesses are not really looking to the time horizon of the future. That’s not what I see here. I see a local bank of Long Island investing. I see creative people who believe in investing in our community, and I’m honored to be here.”

The Port Jefferson office of Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island will be available for patient hours Monday through Friday with some evening and weekend availability. The office can be contacted at 631-828-7100 or on the website.

Dr. Gerard D’Aversa of Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island’s Valley Stream and East Meadow offices received extra help from Joseph Cavataio in his effort to support the Unite for Sight organization. Joseph, a resident of Hewlett, NY and a 5th grader at Ogden Elementary School, first began working on helping the non-profit organization with his fellow cub scouts by collecting glasses that could be given away to the needy. He continued the mission even after the project was over, going door-to-door and placing boxes in local shops. Joseph recently saw an article about Dr. D’Aversa’s work with Unite for Sight, and decided to give the glasses he collected to help Dr. D’Aversa with his mission to Ghana in January 2011.

Joseph is still collecting glasses, and the main box for people to place their donations can be found at Prezioso Brothers Bakery, located at 2816 Church Avenue in Brooklyn. Recently, Joseph received 87 glasses and is trying to get other kids involved with his efforts.

Unite for Sight is a 501c3 charity that empowers communities worldwide to improve eye health and eliminate preventable blindness. If you would like to donate to Unite for Sight, please visit click on the following link Donate. One hundred percent of your tax deductible contribution to Unite for Sight will provide sight restorting eye care to people in extreme poverty. If you are not in a position to make a monetary donation, OCLI offices in Rockville Centre, Lynbrook, Valley Stream, Stony Brook, Manhasset and Port Jefferson will continue to collect sunglasses and reading glasses for Dr. D’Aversa and his daughter Jacklyn to bring to Ghana.

Dr. Gerard D’Aversa, a partner in Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island and a resident of Garden City, NY, is a Board Certified Ophthalmologist with experience in cornea, cataract, and refractive surgery. He graduated at the top of his class from Albert Einstein School Of Medicine.

Medicare Patients Now Allowed To Refill Ophthalmic Medications Early

Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI) is pleased to announce that their Medicare patients will no longer have the problem of being denied refilling their prescriptions too early at the pharmacy. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) received numerous complaints regarding early refills to ophthalmic topical products and have made changes to their “refill too soon” policy. CMS recognized that the early refill edits are an important utilization tool used to promote compliance and prevent waste.  It will also reduce putting patients at risk due to interruptions in drug therapy that could potentially have serious consequences. “This is a very important breakthrough for our patients on chronic topical therapy, particularly glaucoma drops” said Dr. Stanley Berke, a partner of OCLI who practices in their Lynbrook office. The new guidance pertains to all Part D plan sponsors and CMS recommends that sponsors allow the following for topical ophthalmic products:

•    Permit refills at 70% of the predicted days of use. By way of an example, for a prescribed medication with an expected duration of 30 days of use, the refills would be permitted at day 21.

•    Ensure that the refill allowances are the same regardless of purchase through retail or mail-order sources.

•    Permit physicians to authorize earlier refills than 70% days of use for particular beneficiaries who continue to have difficulty with inadvertent wastage.

For more information, please call 1-866-733-6254 or visit www.ocli.net.

Dr. Henry Perry, a senior founding partner of Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI) who practice’s in OCLI’s Rockville Centre office, will receive the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Life Achievement Honor Award. Dr. Perry will be recognized in the Academy’s 2010 Annual Meeting Final Program.  The annual meeting takes place in October in Chicago, IL.

Dr. Perry, who is recognized as one of the leading refractive and corneal eye surgeons in the United States, was approved by the Academy’s Awards Committee and Board of Trustees to win this honor. Winners are chosen based on their contributions to the academy, contributions to scientific and educational programs, and contributions to the field of ophthalmology.

A resident of Sands Point, Dr. Perry received his bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University, and his medical degree from the University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine. He completed Post-graduate Fellowships at The Scheie Eye Institute (University of Pennsylvania) and at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (Harvard University). Dr. Perry is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.  Dr. Perry is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Association of Ophthalmic Pathologists. Currently, Dr Perry is the Chief of the Cornea Service at Nassau University Medical Center.  He serves as the Director of the Research Pathology Laboratories of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and is Medical Director of the Lions Eye Bank for Long Island at North Shore University Medical Center.

Dr. Marguerite McDonald of Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island is the recipient of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Secretariat Award. The Secretariat Award recognizes an individual’s special contributions to the academy, in addition to the field of ophthalmology. Recipients are chosen by the Academy’s senior secretaries, as well as the secretaries in the respective areas, then approved by the Board of Trustees.

Dr. McDonald, who works out of OCLI’s Lynbrook and Rockville Centre offices, is being honored with this award for her role as the president of the International Society of Refractive Surgery for the 2008 and 2009 years. During her time, she exemplified stellar leadership, insight, and expertise, enabling the Society to enhance its mission to advance education for refractive surgeons worldwide.

Dr. McDonald, a resident of Port Washington, is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. She received her medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Recently, Dr. McDonald was also honored as one of the top 250 leading innovators in Intraocular Lens Surgery by Premier Surgeon’s Magazine.

The PS250 is a list of 250 surgeons that the publisher and editors of Premier Surgeon have identified as leading innovators in the field of premium IOL implant surgery. There were four OCLI surgeons who made the list. They include Henry Perry, MD, Eric Donnenfeld, MD, John Wittpenn, MD, and Marguerite McDonald, MD. Click Here to view full list.

Westbury, NY (May 19, 2010)- Dr. Eric D. Donnenfeld, a Board Certified Ophthalmologist, received the Distinguished Service Award from the Nassau Surgical Society at a ceremony on May 5 at The Mill River Club in Upper Brookville. Since 1993 Dr. Donnenfeld has worked closely with Dr. Emmett Campbell to expand the Annual Clinic Day, a continuing education event for surgeons. Under Dr. Donnenfeld’s direction, corporation sponsors now underwrite the event so that doctors are able to attend at no cost.

Dr. Henry D. Perry, a colleague of Dr. Donnenfeld’s and a fellow partner of Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island, spoke of Dr. Donnenfeld’s life, consisting of personal and professional highlights, as well as various accomplishments throughout his career at the event. Dr. Glenn A. Teplitz, current president of The Nassau Surgical Society, presented the award.

Dr. Donnenfeld is a partner at Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island. Dr. Donnenfeld has more than 10 years experience in laser vision correction, more than any other doctor on Long Island. He has written many articles and has traveled all over the world lecturing on refractive, cataract and corneal eye surgery. He received his medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School, and graduated in the top five percent of his class.  Dr. Donnenfeld is on the Board of Overseers at Dartmouth Medical School.  In addition to this honor, he is the surgical director of the Lions Eye Bank for Long Island and the Editor in Chief of Cataract and Refractive Surgery today, a well respected ophthalmology magazine.

OCLI, one of the largest ophthalmology practices in the nation, consists of 23 eye doctors representing most subspecialties of ophthalmology in 7 locations throughout Long Island; in Rockville Centre, Lynbrook, Valley Stream, Stony Brook, Manhasset, East Meadow and Port Jefferson. OCLI also has a research department that is involved in studies to improve the treatment and diagnosing of ophthalmic diseases. For more information, please call 1-866-SEE-OCLI (1-866-733-6254) or visit http://www.ocli.net.

Dr. Robert Broderick (standing) of Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island’s (OCLI’s) Manhasset office addresses members of Project Independence NORC (Naturally Occurring Retirement Community) at the Clinton G. Martin Park Community Center on April 28th. Dr. Broderick discussed the importance of eye examinations and the symptoms and treatment for Macular Degeneration, a medical condition that is prevalent among people over 60. For more information, please visit www.ocli.net or call 1-866-733-6254.