Montefiore Announces Regional Eye Surgery Center at Westchester Square

BRONX, N.Y., May 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Montefiore Health System's Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences today announced the opening of a new Eye Surgery Center with the most advanced eye-operation equipment in the New York City area. The center, located at Montefiore's Westchester Square campus, has five operating rooms available to all Montefiore accredited ophthalmologists and will serve patients from the New York City area and beyond.

"We have created a complete, state-of-the-art facility that is second to none in the region, right around the corner from where our patients work and live," said Roy Chuck M.D., Ph.D., professor and chairman, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Montefiore and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "Patients in the New York City area will benefit from the new equipment, along with the team of ophthalmologists and staff who uphold our mission to provide excellent and efficient experiences for our patients."  

The new equipment will enable Montefiore surgeons to implant intraocular lenses during cataract surgery to improve patients' near and far vision. Operating rooms also contain retina microscopes that allow physicians a high-resolution look at the back of the eye for more precise retinal surgery for patients with macular degeneration, retinal detachment, and diabetic retinopathy. Additionally, the facility will house advanced glaucoma surgical equipment that was invented and pioneered by Montefiore faculty. This advanced equipment includes the Trabectome, which was invented by Dr. Chuck, and allows for the removal of part of the drainage system inside the eye to decrease intraocular pressure for glaucoma patients; also available is the endoscopic cyclophoptocoagulation device (ECP) pioneered by Norman B. Medow, M.D., which uses targeted lasers to decrease fluid production and alleviates intraocular pressure associated with glaucoma.   

At the new center, ophthalmologists will perform advanced cornea surgeries also pioneered by Montefiore faculty, which will benefit anyone who needs corneal transplants due to genetic reasons, trauma, or infections. The facility's ophthalmologists specialize in advanced surgeries such as amniotic membrane patch grafting, where defects on the surface of the eye are patched with amniotic membrane to assist with healing.

All five operating rooms are outfitted with the same equipment, allowing cutting-edge care for every patient and enabling physicians to operate in different rooms without adjusting to equipment changes. By concentrating all complex eye cases in the Montefiore Eye Surgery Center, Montefiore is able to staff the clinic with the most experienced anesthesiologists for procedures, and employ highly-skilled nurses who are familiar with patients' specific eye-care issues.

The Montefiore Eye Surgery Center at Westchester Square is located at 2475 St Raymonds Ave, Bronx, NY. For appointments to our outpatient centers please call: 718-920-2020.

As one of the largest ophthalmology departments in the country, Montefiore has 34 full-time faculty members, nationally recognized researchers with 13 NIH grants, and award-winning community service programs to prevent blindness. In partnership with Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore is a longstanding educational institution in the field of ophthalmology, teaching and training many of the nation's ophthalmologists.

About Montefiore Health System
Montefiore Health System is a premier academic health system and the University Hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Combining a nationally-recognized clinical excellence with a population health perspective that focuses on the health needs of communities, Montefiore delivers coordinated, compassionate, science-driven care where, when and how patients need it most. Montefiore consists of eight hospitals, an extended care facility with a total of 2,741 beds and a School of Nursing. State-of-the-art primary and specialty care are provided through a network of more than 170 locations across the region, including the nation's largest school health program and a home health program.

For more information please visit www.montefiore.org. Please follow us on Twitter; like us on Facebook; or view us on YouTube.

CONTACT: Arielle Sklar, 718 920-4659, [email protected]

SOURCE Montefiore Health System