Dr. Robert Broderick and staff from OCLI’s Manhasset office will be providing free vision screenings for glaucoma and cataracts on August 8^th (rain date August 11^th) between the hours of 10:00 am and 2:00 pm at the Town of North Hempstead (TONH) Health Education Fair. The Fair will be held at North Hempstead Beach Park in Port Washington.

 About Glaucoma: Glaucoma is an eye disease that slowly and painlessly steals away your sight. Glaucoma is called the sneak thief of sight because it has no symptoms—it does not make your eyes red or cause pain. But it is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, and half of the people who have glaucoma don’t know that they have the disease and are not aware that they are going blind.

 The cause of glaucoma is unknown, but there are several risk factors that increase your chances of developing glaucoma. These include high eye pressure (called intraocular pressure, or IOP), older age, and having a family history of glaucoma. Anyone with any of these risk factors should get regular eye examinations to look for glaucoma. African Americans and Hispanics are also more likely to develop glaucoma.

 About Cataracts: Nearly 22 million Americans age 40 and older have cataracts, one of the most curable causes of vision loss. A cataract is the clouding of the eye’s normally clear lens, blocking the passage of light needed for vision. They form slowly and cause no pain. Some stay small and hardly affect vision, but if the cataract does grow and begin to affect your vision, it can usually be removed with surgery.

 Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed operation in the United States with over 3 million cases performed annually. Dr. Broderick is now performing some of the first laser enhanced and customized cataract surgeries on Long Island.  This new medical breakthrough in laser cataract surgery adds a new level of precision, accuracy and predictability to the procedure that simply was not possible with conventional manual surgery.

 To learn more about glaucoma and cataracts and for a free vision screening, stop by OCLI’s booth at the TONH Fair on August 8th between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.

Dr. Daniel Kiernan has joined Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI) as an associate physician specializing in medical and surgical diseases of the retina, vitreous and macula. He will be joining Glenn Stoller, MD and Ken Carnevale, MD in Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island’s retinal department. Dr. Kiernan 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.

 ”The accolade has furthered my motivation to pursue translational research involving correlating retina structural imaging and function,” says Dr. Kiernan. Dr. Kiernan’s other research interests include age-related macular degeneration, hereditary macular conditions and retinal vascular disease.

 Being the eldest son of an ophthalmologist, Dr. Kiernan says his decision to train as a retinal surgeon was based on a sense of personal responsibility and his desire to become an “innovator in a field governed by fine visual details, superb motor skills and the marvelous sense of sight.”

 ”We are pleased to welcome Dr. Kiernan to our team of experienced and dedicated staff of eye care professionals at OCLI,” said Tom Burke, CEO, OCLI. “He will prove to be a great addition to our continuing efforts to meet and exceed our patients’ needs.”

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.

 For more information or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Kiernan in Rockville Centre, Lynbrook, Stony Brook, Port Jefferson, please contact OCLI at 1-866-SEE-OCLI (1-866-733-6254)

See the attached features in the Baldwin Herald and Farmingdale Observer about OCLI Bowling for a cause.

Baldwin Herald_Bowling for A Cause

Farmingdale Observer_Bowling for a Cause

On Friday June 10th, Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI) participated in a bowling event to raise money for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer (MSABC). Over 40 people attended the event on June 10 which raised $950.00. OCLI is a flagship sponsor of the MSABC Walk which takes place in October at Jones Beach. This year, their goal is to raise $50,000.

On Wednesday, June 8, 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 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.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) one out of every three people ages 65 and older, fall each year. Among older adults, falls are the cause of injury and hospital admission for trauma and death. Dr. Vaccaro facilitated a workshop about vision and the role vision plays in keeping one’s balance. This community-based workshop was one of several offered over the course of seven weeks using adult education and self-efficacy principals. 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

A board certified ophthalmologist for OCLI, Dr. Vaccaro discussed the following guidelines for vision safety and preventing a fall:

1. Regular Eye exams including screenings for cataracts and glaucoma
2. Wearing eyeglasses and making sure they are updated regularly
3. Keeping eyeglasses clean
4. Make sure lighting is sufficient
5. In the home, be aware of pets, clutter and furniture
6. When outside, scanning the environment ahead for other pedestrians, cars and bicycles

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.

For more information, please contact OCLI at 1-866-SEE-OCLI (1-866-733-6254) or on their website www.ocli.net.

Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island’s Dr. Eric Donnenfeld featured in the Times Beacon Record Newspapers Special Section – Focus on Health article about performing the first laser cataract surgery on Long Island. Read the full article here.

Lasers make their L.I. debut for cataract surgery

Dr. Eric Donnenfeld is featured in an article about Laser Cataract Surgery in the Herald Community Newspapers – Good Health section.  See the full article here. Advanced laser surgery helps cataract patients

Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island (OCLI) is pleased to announce that Dr. Stanley Berke will celebrate his 25^th year working in their Lynbrook office. A resident of Rockville Centre and a founding partner of OCLI, Dr. Stanley Berke began working for OCLI on July 1, 1986.

Dr. Stanley Berke is a board certified ophthalmologist specializing in glaucoma treatment and cataract surgery. Dr. Berke graduated magna cum laude from State University of New York at Buffalo with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He received his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine. After completing his ophthalmology residency at Nassau County Medical Center, where he served as chief resident, he completed a fellowship in glaucoma and cataract surgery at the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Berke is an Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and is a fellow of the American Board of Ophthalmology, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Nassau Surgical Society and Nassau Academy of Medicine. Dr. Berke is also Chief of Glaucoma Service at Nassau University Medical Center.

Dr. John Wittpenn (third from right), Dr. Jack Oats (third from left) and other staff members of Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island’s Port Jefferson and Stony Brook offices participated in the the Families Walk for Hope in Port Jefferson on May 7. The walk raised money for the Fortunato Breast Health Center at Mather Hospital. OCLI also serves as a corporate sponsor for the American Cancer Society’s annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in October.

Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island’s Dr. Eric Donnenfeld is featured on Newsday.com performing Laser Cataract Surgery at Island Eye Surgicenter in Carle Place. Dr. Donnenfeld is the first surgeon in the New York Metropolitan area to perform Laser Cataract Surgery.

http://www.newsday.com/video/state-of-the-art-surgery-1.2840348