Throughout August and September, doctors at OCLI performed free surgery at the Island Eye Surgicenter to give the gift of sight back to those who have lost some or all of their vision because of cataracts. OCLI is a participant in the Mission Cataract USA program and offered this outpatient surgical procedure to residents of Nassau, Suffolk and Queens who are not covered by medical insurance and who were unable to pay for the surgery themselves.
“OCLI has a history of giving back to the community, through the personal efforts of our Long Island eye care doctors and as a group. This effort is one more piece of our OCLI ‘Renewed Vision™ program and it is an innovative way to give back to the community we serve” said Tom Burke, CEO of OCLI. He continued, “We participate in similar projects, such as Healthy Vision 2010 with The National Eye Institute and Eye Care America with the American Academy of Ophthalmology. These efforts help us reach vision and service objectives as part of a shared responsibility for national disease prevention that helps to improve the health of all Americans.”
Dr. Stanley Berke performs cataract surgery
OCLI has performed charitable surgical procedures for many years with various local service organizations including The Lion’s Eye Bank and The Sons of Italy. For this Mission Cataract effort, the doctors, technicians and nurses volunteer their services free of charge. The procedures will be performed at the Island Eye Surgicenter, in Carle Place.
Participating cataract surgeons include: Stanley Berke, MD, Robert Broderick, MD, Ronald Caronia, MD, Gerard D’Aversa, MD, Eric Donnenfeld, MD, Russell Fumuso, MD, David Nelson, MD, David Sachs, MD and Richard Sturm, MD.
The following corporate and individual professionals along with their staff, have generously contributed professional services, surgical supplie s , pharmaceuticals and equipment to bring this community service to reality: Island Eye Surgicenter, Julie Suarez, M.D. Rockville Centre, Roman P. Urbanczck, M.D. Valley Stream (Rotacare), Brad Litwak, MD and Nassau Ambulatory Anesthesia Associates, Abbott Medical Optics, Allergan, Bausch and Lomb, Cardinal Health Incorporated and Integrated Medical Supplies.