National Access to EyeSi Simulation: A Comparative Study Among U.S. Ophthalmology Residency Programs.

 The aim of this study was to evaluate regional disparities in access to EyeSi surgical simulation training among U.S. ophthalmology residency programs.

Prognostic indicators of corneal ulcer clinical outcomes at a tertiary care center in the Bronx, New York.

Purpose: Corneal ulcers frequently result in ocular morbidity and may lead to permanent visual impairment if severe or untreated. This study aims to evaluate the association of patient factors and ocular exam findings on clinical outcomes for patients diagnosed with a corneal ulcer at a tertiary care center in the Bronx, New York.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on all ambulatory and admitted patients diagnosed with a corneal ulcer (identified using ICD-10 code H16.

Heart-brain Rhythmic Synchronization during Meditation: A Nonlinear Signal Analysis.

Background: Heart-brain synchronization is the integration of mind, body, and spirit. It occurs when the electrical activity of the heart and brain is synchronized. In recent years, there has been mounting curiosity to investigate the effects of meditation on heart-brain synchronization with respect to mental and emotional health and well-being.

Multimodal fluorescence imaging and spectroscopic techniques for oral cancer screening: a real-time approach.

The survival rate of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients is very poor, but it can be improved using highly sensitive, specific, and accurate techniques. Autofluorescence and fluorescence techniques are very sensitive and helpful in cancer screening; being directly linked with the molecular levels of human tissue, they can be used as a quantitative tool for cancer detection. Here, we report the development of multi-modal autofluorescence and fluorescence imaging and spectroscopic (MAF-IS) smartphone-based systems for fast and real-time oral cancer screening.

A Systematic Analysis of the Impact of an Ambulatory Ophthalmology Urgent Care Clinic.

 A same-day ophthalmic urgent care clinic can provide efficient eye care, a rich educational environment, and can improve patient experience.  The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate volume, financial impact, care metrics, and the breadth of pathology of urgent new patient encounters based on their site of initial presentation.  A retrospective analysis was performed on consecutive urgent new patient evaluations in our same-day triage clinic at the Henkind Eye Institute at Montefiore Medical Center between February 2019 and January 2020.

In a Large Healthcare System in the Bronx, Teleretinal Triaging Was Found to Increase Screening and Healthcare Access for an Underserved Population with a High Incidence of T2DM and Retinopathy.

The early treatment of diabetic retinopathy (DR) prevents vision-threatening proliferative retinopathy (PDR) and macular edema (DME). Our study evaluates telemedicine (teleretinal) screening for DR in an inner-city healthcare network with a high ethnic diversity and disease burden. Fundus photographs were obtained and graded in a centralized reading center between 2014 and 2016.

Refractive surgery for the glaucoma suspect.

Purpose Of Review: The aim of this study was to provide an update on perioperative considerations in the evaluation and management of patients undergoing primary corneal and intraocular refractive procedures who are at risk for progressive glaucomatous optic neuropathy.

Recent Findings: The necessity of a comprehensive baseline assessment prior to refractive procedures with structural and functional testing, along with documentation of preoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements, is highlighted in recent literature. Substantiation of the increased risk of postoperative IOP elevation in keratorefractive procedures in patients with higher baseline IOP and lower baseline CCT, but not necessarily the degree of myopia, has been variably evidenced.

Heartfulness Meditation Alters Electroencephalogram Oscillations: An Electroencephalogram Study.

Background: Heartfulness meditation (HM) has been shown to have positive impacts on cognition and well-being, which makes it important to look into the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the phenomenon.

Aim: A cross-sectional study was conducted on HM meditators and nonmeditators to assess frontal electrical activities of the brain and self-reported anxiety and mindfulness.

Settings And Design: The present study employed a cross-sectional design.

Effect of Heartfulness Meditation Among Long-Term, Short-Term and Non-meditators on Prefrontal Cortex Activity of Brain Using Machine Learning Classification: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Meditation is a mental practice with health benefits and may increase activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. Heartfulness meditation (HM) is a modified form of rajyoga meditation supported by a unique feature called "yogic transmission." This feasibility study aimed to explore the effect of HM on electroencephalogram (EEG) connectivity parameters of long-term meditators (LTM), short-term meditators (STM), and non-meditators (NM) with an application of machine learning models and determining classifier methods that can effectively discriminate between the groups.

The impact of case complexity in resident-performed cataract surgery.

Purpose: To evaluate the association of capsular dye and/or a pupil expansion device (PED) usage on the rate of major complication in resident-performed cataract extraction.

Methods: Resident cataract surgeries between 2016 and 2019 were included. The primary outcomes were anterior or posterior vitrectomy (AVx and PPVx).

Point-of-care devices based on fluorescence imaging and spectroscopy for tumor margin detection during breast cancer surgery: Towards breast conservation treatment.

Objective: Fluorescence-based methods are highly specific and sensitive and have potential in breast cancer detection. Simultaneous fluorescence imaging and spectroscopy during intraoperative procedures of breast cancer have great advantages in detection of tumor margin as well as in classification of tumor to healthy tissues. Intra-operative real-time confirmation of breast cancer tumor margin is the aim of surgeons, and therefore, there is an urgent need for such techniques and devices which fulfill the surgeon's priorities.

Retinal arterial occlusive vasculitis following IgA nephropathy: A case report.

Purpose: To discuss diagnosis and management in the case of a patient presenting with bilateral ischemic retinal vasculopathy associated with a previously undiagnosed IgA nephropathy.

Case Report: In 2021, a 35-year-old male presented with a sudden onset asymmetric bilateral (OU) visual loss. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/200 OD, and no light perception (NLP) OS with an associated relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD).

The Cost-Effectiveness of a Telemedicine Screening Program for Diabetic Retinopathy in New York City.

Background: A telemedicine screening initiative was implemented by the Montefiore Health System to improve access to eyecare for a multi-ethnic, at-risk population of diabetic patients in a largely underserved urban community in the Bronx, New York. This retrospective, cross-sectional analysis evaluates the societal benefit and financial sustainability of this program by analyzing both cost and revenue generation based on current standard Medicare reimbursement rates.

Methods: Non-mydriatic fundus cameras were placed in collaboration with a vendor in eight outpatient primary care sites throughout the Montefiore Health Care System, and data was collected between June 2014 and July 2016.

Practical Consensus Recommendations for Optimizing Risk versus Benefit of Chemotherapy in Patients with HR Positive Her2 Negative Early Breast Cancer in India.

Breast cancer is a public health challenge globally as well as in India. Improving outcome and cure requires appropriate biomarker testing to assign risk and plan treatment. Because it is documented that significant ethnic and geographical variations in biological and genetic features exist worldwide, such biomarkers need to be validated and approved by authorities in the region where these are intended to be used.

Evaluation of ophthalmic surgical simulators for continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis training.

Purpose: To evaluate performance and assessments by expert surgeons tasked to create a continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC) on 3 commercially available surgical simulators.

Setting: Montefiore Medical Center Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Bronx, New York.

Design: Randomized, cross-sectional, comparative study.

Novel Face Mask Detection Technique using Machine Learning to control COVID'19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been scattering speedily around the world since 2019. Due to this pandemic, human life is becoming increasingly involutes and complex. Many people have died because of this virus.

The Relationship Between Corneal Biomechanics and Intraocular Pressure Dynamics in Patients Undergoing Intravitreal Injection.

Precis: A higher "corneal resistance factor" (CRF) was associated with greater intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation after intravitreal injection of bevacizumab. Both higher "corneal hysteresis" (CH) and CRF were associated with more rapid IOP recovery postinjection.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between measurable corneal biomechanical properties and acute IOP elevation after rapid intraocular volume expansion from the routine intravitreal injection.

Considerations for refractive surgery in the glaucoma patient.

Purpose Of Review: Given the popularity of keratorefractive surgery, and an aging populous of patients who have undergone these procedures, there is an increasing need for updated management protocols. This is particularly relevant for patients with chronic progressive diseases such as glaucoma, due to the variety of related diagnostic and management challenges inherent to these diseases. Here, we will review the current literature to provide an update on the management of patients with glaucoma who are undergoing, or have had laser ablative refractive surgery.

Update on the Medical Treatment of Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma.

Glaucoma comprises a group of progressive, neurodegenerative disorders characterized by retinal ganglion cell death and nerve fiber layer atrophy. Several randomized controlled trials have consistently demonstrated the efficacy of intraocular pressure lowering to slow or halt the measurable progression of the disease. Medical therapy, in places where it is easily accessible, is often the primary method to lower intraocular pressure.

The differential pupillary response to 2.5% phenylephrine in patients taking tamsulosin.

Purpose: To determine if a pharmacological test could be developed to determine iris dilator dysfunction in patients taking tamsulosin.

Methods: Patients taking tamsulosin and controls were recruited from the Urology and Ophthalmology clinics at the Montefiore Medical Center. The patient's right eye (OD) was dilated with phenylephrine hydrochloride 2.

The impact of cataract surgery on glaucoma care.

Purpose Of Review: To summarize the effects of cataract surgery on the management of glaucoma, in terms of the effect on both the intraocular pressure (IOP) and postoperative diagnostic as well as therapeutic considerations.

Recent Findings: Recent evidence corroborates prior data demonstrating significant and sustained IOP reduction after cataract extraction, particularly in closed-angle variants of glaucoma, but also in individuals with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Performing cataract surgery after trabeculectomy increases the odds of filtration failure with the likelihood of this adverse effect being inversely proportional to the duration between the glaucoma and cataract procedures.