Although the nine-story Eye Institute is more than 60 years old, it has been modernized to meet current needs in the field of ophthalmology. Over the years, most of the inpatient rooms have been converted to either clinical practice or research space. The resident clinics were completely renovated in 1992 through a $1.4 million gift from the ITT Corporation. The resident clinic has 13 examination lanes, full time nursing support, computerized medical records, internet access, full-time attending support and an array of diagnostic and treatment modalities on site. The residents perform surgery at the medical center in the newly renovated operating rooms at the Eye Institute. Emergency surgeries are performed at the Eye Institute with rotating attending support. All told, ophthalmology residents and faculty perform an average of 3200 surgeries annually at the Eye Institute.

Attached to the Eye Institute is the Eye Research Building, a seven-story facility with modern laboratories, cold rooms, electron microscopy and animal care facilities.

A comprehensive collection of written and audiovisual information on ophthalmology is located in the Institute's John Wheeler Library. This supplements the Augustus Long Health Science Library on campus, which contains over 480,000 volumes and 4,000 periodicals.

Clinics

Residency teaching is conducted in a number of teaching clinics. General clinic and pedicatric clinic runs daily with patients referred from an affiliated network of community primary-care health centers or from the Columbia-Presbyterian Emergency Room. Patients are seen by the residents with attending supervision to insure proper patient care and to maximize the learning experience. Specialty clinics meet weekly in retina, uveitis, glaucoma, strabismus, neuro-ophthalmology, oculoplastics, contact lens, and cornea and external disease. Each specialty clinic is lead by one or more attendings with expertise in the clinical area and patient care plans are developed through the interaction of the residents and attending staff.

Training Schedule

First year residents spend the majority of their time in general clinic but have significant exposure to the operating rooms, pediatric clinic, and each of the subspecialty clinics. First year residents perform minor surgical procedures and assist in major surgery. In January, the residents attend the Basic Science Course, which is taught by faculty from the Institute, from other departments at the Medical Center, and from outside institutions. Sponsored by the Eye Institute for more than 40 years, the course offers residents a respite from their clinical duties while giving them an opportunity for concentrated learning in the basic science mechanisms of vision and vision disorders.

During year two, residents continue their exposure to clinical care with subspecialty rotations. A four month pediatric rotation gives the resident nearly full time exposure to pediatric ophthalmology. A four month retina rotation focuses the resident on the diagnosis and management of retinal disease with the use of advanced diagnostic modalities including high speed angiography and optical coherence tomography available in the department. The second year resident also rotates for a 4 month period, part-time, through the ophthalmology clinic at Harlem Hospital where they manage complex cases and perform a variety of major surgical procedures including cataract and glaucoma surgery under the guidance of practicing faculty members. Second year residents serve as consultants to the entire medical center with faculty support for in-patient consultations.

In the final year of residency, the residents manage all specialty cases and perform the complete range of ophthalmologic surgeries. Each senior resident spends at least 1 full day per week in surgery as either the primary surgeon or assisting with attending surgery.

On-call Schedule

On-call for first-year residents is every fourth night and every third weekend from home. Second-year residents provide first call from home one night per week. Third-year residents take back-up call from home and come in to assist first-year residents with the management of emergency or complicated cases.

Journal Club/Teaching Conferences

Twice a month, the journal club is held with faculty and residents. The residents meet daily with an attending physician in a morning report format to review all cases seen by the on-call resident. Formal teaching conferences in all of the subspecialty areas are held most days throughout the year, either prior to the start of clinic or following clinic hours. Residents play an essential role in the Institute's main teaching conference, a combined seminar and grand rounds held each Thursday afternoon. This 2 hour session combines a topic presentation by a faculty member or guest lecturer with relevant clinical cases drawn from the patients treated at the Eye Institute. Residents are expected to present patient cases throughout their training and to prepare two seminar topics over the course of their residency.

Research

All residents are encouraged to complete a significant research project. With adjacent laboratories and 12 full-time scientists, there is ample opportunity to get involved with basic science research. Many members of the clinical faculty are also active in research and clinical trials. Funding is available to help support independent resident research.

In addition, PGY 3 and 4 residents are encouraged to attend one approved ophthalmological meeting per year. Travel expenses for residents presenting papers or participating in scientific programs are subsidized by the Department of Ophthalmology.

Faculty

The Eye Institute's clinical faculty consists of more than 50 ophthalmologists, many of whom have practice space in the Institute. All faculty participate in educational activities, such as resident training. Post-graduate training is overseen by the Director of Resident Training, who also serves as resident advocate. There is also a Director of Clinics, who coordinates teaching and supervision within the clinics.

Salary/Stipend/Vacation

Salary for residents is consistent with that at other institutions in the New York City area. Malpractice, health, and disability insurance are provided by the Medical Center. Residents are given four weeks of vacation each year.

Housing

A variety of housing options are available including large, inexpensive apartments near the Hospital. Many residents choose to live on Manhattan's Upper West Side, which is an easy and short commute.