Despite advances in treatment that slow progression and successfully preserve eyesight, glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in this country—a reality we can change by raising awareness of the need to have a comprehensive eye exam and follow a prescribed treatment plan if glaucoma is diagnosed.
Glaucoma is a group of serious eye conditions that damage the optic nerve and cause irreversible vision loss, with no early symptoms in most cases. While everyone over 60 has a risk of glaucoma, African Americans and people of Hispanic descent have the highest risk and should be checked at around age 40.
Jeffrey Schultz, MD, Director, Glaucoma Service, Montefiore, and Associate Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Einstein, says, "One of the biggest misconceptions about glaucoma is, ‘My glaucoma isn't bad because I can see just fine.' The loss of vision is so gradual that it's possible to lose up to 40% of normal eyesight before a person notices something is wrong."
“ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT GLAUCOMA IS, 'MY GLAUCOMA ISN'T BAD BECAUSE I CAN SEE JUST FINE.'" —Jeffrey Schultz, MD
Early detection is the key to preserving vision for people with glaucoma, and Montefiore's innovative use of telemedicine and technology is helping. Throughout the Montefiore system primary care providers can now screen for glaucoma without dilating the patient's eyes, using a special camera to capture an image of the back of the eye. If there are any concerns, the image is forwarded to the specialists in Montefiore's Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences for further evaluation.
Glaucoma is a treatable condition.
Don't let it steal your vision.
Discover more at Lohud.
A Montefiore research team has advanced the emerging field of AllergoOncology with their finding of an association between absent/very low levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), antibodies produced by the immune system, and an increased incidence of cancer. People vary greatly in their levels of IgE, and individuals with very low or absent IgE levels, designated "IgE-deficient," make up about 2.7 percent of the population. Previous epidemiological studies found that those with high levels of IgE, who tend to be allergic, have a lower rate of malignancy. The study, led by Denisa Ferastraoaru, MD, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Department of Allergy and Immunology, Montefiore and Einstein, along with David Rosenstreich, MD, Chief, Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Montefiore and Einstein, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, showed that within 3.5 years from the IgE level measurement, the IgEdeficient patients had a significantly higher risk and rate (17.6 percent) to develop a malignancy compared with 3.8 percent in patients with high or very high IgE levels. "This is the first prospective study showing that IgE deficiency is associated with a higher risk of developing malignancy," says Dr. Ferastraoaru. "Very low/absent serum IgE levels might represent a biomarker for malignancy and trigger physicians to monitor those patients more closely for cancer."
The American Medical Association’s new Reimagining Residency initiative has selected Montefiore to receive a $1.8 million grant to develop, implement and evaluate a residency curriculum across four primary care specialties. One of only 11 grantee institutions out of 252 applicants, "Montefiore’s winning submission, Residency Training to Effectively Address Social Determinants of Health, will deal with the economic and social barriers that come between people and good healthcare, the social determinants of health," explains Catherine Skae, MD, principal investigator and Associate Professor, Pediatrics, and Vice President and Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, Montefiore and Einstein. As the provider of postgraduate clinical training to more than 1,200 residents in 99 ACGME-accredited programs, the award will support this critical training for hundreds of Montefiore residents over the course of the five-year grant. (Continued on page 2)
(Continued from page 1) Dr. Skae is joined in this investigation by co–principal investigators Anna Flattau, MD, MSc, MS, and Victoria Gorski, MD, both Associate Professors in the Department of Family and Social Medicine, Montefiore and Einstein. "Here in the Bronx, when we ask people about their concerns, at the top of their lists are things like housing, transportation and food insecurity," says Dr. Flattau. Training residents to effectively act upon social determinants of health will shape the future of resident training and of patient care at Montefiore and Einstein and beyond.
Catherine Skae, MD
Anna Flattau, MD
Victoria Gorski, MD
Montefiore's Healing Loss program has helped more than 300 associates work through grief, losses, trauma and other challenges since 2013. The three-day retreat has been an overwhelming success, and in response, Montefiore will offer the small-group workshops three times next year. Healing Loss workshops, which are limited to 25 participants and five staff facilitators, offer a safe, confidential and supportive environment for participants to begin to work through and release unresolved feelings and begin the process of intense emotional healing. More than 95 percent of participants reported the program helped them "very much" or "extremely" in grieving loss, relieving stress, caregiving and having new tools for self-care. "It can be incredibly uplifting and healing, for both personal and work-related losses and grief," says Peter A. Selwyn, MD, MPH, Professor and Chair, Family and Social Medicine, and Director, Palliative Care Program, Montefiore.
Johanne Mills, LCSW, who participated in the Healing Loss workshop five years ago, adds, "To my surprise, I was given the tools and safe place to understand that people dying in my life were not the only losses I carried in my heart, allowing me to address the pain associated with loss. I felt 100 pounds lighter, and I continue to use what I learned to manage feelings that may include anger, shame and sadness."
Visit healingarts@montefiore.org for 2020 workshop dates or call 718-920-6778.
IH can impact more than just your sleep cycle. It can also affect work, education, relationships, and so much more. Did you know? Idiopathic hypersomnia symptoms often first appear in the mid-to-late teens or early twenties. If you are ages 18 to 70 and have idiopathic hypersomnia, you may be eligible for a clinical research study.
To learn more, contact the study team at 718-920-2880/718-920-2895 or mfiguera@montefiore.org.
Montefiore’s Winter Blood Drive
Thursday, February 13, 2020 | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Grand Hall, Moses Campus
111 East 210th Street
Bronx, New York 10467
To schedule an appointment to donate, visit the Montefiore intranet, or call New York Blood Center at 1-800-933-2566.
Walk-ins welcome.
Friday, February 21
Suicide and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Youth and Adults:
Clinical Assessment and Evidence-Based Treatment Approaches
Wednesday, March 4
Assessment and Treatment of Eating Disorders Across the Lifespan
Wednesday, April 29
Introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Tuesday, May 12
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Children and Adolescents
Monday, August 10
Transaffirmative Clinical Care
For more information, visit www.einstein.yu.edu/departments/psychiatry-behavioral-sciences/montefiore-social-work-academy/