Cornea, Contact Lens, and Refractive Surgery Management Fellowship
Cornea and Laser Eye Institute – CLEI Center for Keratoconus
Glenpointe Center East
300 Frank W. Burr Blvd., Suite 71
Teaneck, NJ 07666
Fellowship Director
John D. Gelles, OD
Fellowship Supervisors
Steven A. Greenstein, MD
Peter S. Hersh, MD
David S. Chu, MD
About the Institute:
The Cornea and Laser Eye Institute is an internationally recognized center dedicated exclusively to specialized cornea, refractive surgery, and specialty contact lenses. CLEI is a collaborative MD and OD team of subspecialty experts. The institute is active in industry and physician-sponsored clinical trials. Our most notable clinical trial highlights include the FDA approval of laser vision correction and leading the US Multicenter trial for FDA approval of corneal collagen crosslinking. We have collectively produced several textbooks and over one hundred journal articles. We are academically affiliated with multiple universities and colleges providing education to optometry interns and ophthalmology residents. We provide postgraduate fellowships in cornea and contact lenses for ODs and research fellowships for MD, OD, and PhDs. The CLEI Center for Keratoconus is uniquely focused on research and management of the disease. We currently have multiple clinical trials for surgery, specialty contact lens, and genetics of keratoconus. At CLEI, you will learn about the most cutting-edge care from the experts who have developed the techniques and the technology.
About the Program:
Our expectations are that fellows are motivated to learn, are compassionate caregivers, and have an excellent collaborative attitude. The program is open to US and Canadian citizens. Our program aims to provide education in cornea, refractive, and specialty contact lens management.
- Exposure to specialty contact lenses for irregular corneas and ocular surface disease
- Specialty contact lenses exposure:
- Scleral lenses
- Impression-based scleral lenses (EyePrintPro)
- Scan-based scleral lenses (SMap3D, CSP Pro)
- Custom soft lenses
- Hybrid lenses
- Corneal GP lenses
- Piggyback lenses
- Cosmetic lenses
- Scleral lenses
- High-performance contact lens optics
- Higher order aberration correcting scleral lenses
- Custom multifocal scleral lenses and custom soft lenses
- Contact lens administration
- Lens ordering
- Lens verification and preparation
- Specialty contact lenses exposure:
- Comprehensive understanding of advanced diagnostics relevant to the cornea, contact lens, and refractive surgery
- The diagnostic instruments that we use on a daily basis include the following;
- Corneal OCT
- Corneal topographer
- Corneal tomographer
- Corneal biomechanics
- Specular microscope
- Ocular scatter
- Wavefront aberrometer
- Anterior segment photography
- The diagnostic instruments that we use on a daily basis include the following;
- Comprehensive understanding of keratoconus management
- Procedures to be observed
- Crosslinking
- Customized corneal tissue inlays
- Topography guided PRK
- Procedures to be observed
- Exposure to complex corneal disease management
- Medical cornea exposure:
- Immunologic corneal and ocular surface disease
- Corneal dystrophies
- Corneal trauma
- Refractive surgery complications
- Corneal ectasias
- Corneal infections
- Medical cornea exposure:
- Exposure to a variety of cornea and refractive surgeries with pre and post-operative care and surgical observation
- Surgical procedure exposure:
- Corneal refractive: Topography guided and wavefront-optimized LASIK, PRK
- Keratoconus: Crosslinking, Corneal Tissue Amelioration for Keratoconus, Topography Guided PRK
- Intraocular refractive: ICL, IOL, Femtosecond Cataract Procedures
- Corneal disease: Patch grafts, Superficial Keratectomy
- Corneal transplants: Femtosecond-assisted PK, DALK, DSEK, DMEK
- Artificial cornea: KPro
- Surgical procedure exposure:
- Exposure to research, authorship, and presenting (optional)
- Peer-reviewed journal manuscripts
- Clinical research
- Study design
- Data collection and analysis
- Manuscript preparation
- Journal submission
- Professional magazine articles
- Conference presentations
About the Instructors:
John D. Gelles, OD, FAAO, FIAOMC, FCLSA, FSLS, FBCLA is the director of the specialty contact lens division at CLEI. He graduated from the University of Oregon and received his O.D. from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. He went on to complete a cornea fellowship under Dr. Peter Hersh. He is an assistant clinical professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and an adjunct clinical professor at Illinois College of Optometry, New England College of Optometry, and State University of New York College of Optometry. He is an internationally recognized expert in specialty contact lenses.
Steven A. Greenstein, MD is the director of cornea and refractive surgery and the medical director at CLEI. He graduated from New York University and received his M.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine where he graduated with a special distinction in clinical research. Dr. Greenstein completed his Ophthalmology Residency training at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He completed a Cornea, Refractive, and External Disease Fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He is an internationally recognized expert in cornea and refractive surgery.
Peter S. Hersh, MD, FACS is the director of the research division at CLEI. He graduated from Princeton University and received his M.D. from Johns Hopkins Medical School. He completed his ophthalmology residency and Cornea fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hersh remained on the full-time faculty at Harvard for several years. In 1995, he founded the Cornea and Laser Eye Institute and in 2002 the CLEI Center for Keratoconus. He is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the Cornea and Refractive Surgery Division at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and a Visiting Research Collaborator at Princeton University. He is an internationally recognized expert in cornea and refractive surgery.
David S. Chu, MD is a clinical collaborator at CLEI. He received his bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College. He graduated from New York University’s School of Medicine and completed his ophthalmology residency at New York Medical College. He completed a fellowship in Ocular Inflammatory Disease and Uveitis at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School. He is a Clinical Professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He is an internationally recognized expert in complex immunologic, corneal disease, and surgery.
Program logistics:
Year Established: 2022
ACOE Accreditation Status: Unaccredited
Program length: 13 months. This provides overlap between fellows to build camaraderie and familiarity with the program
Start date: June 1st, 2023
End date: June 30th, 2024
Number of positions available: 1
Hours:
Monday: 8am to 5pm
Tuesday: 12pm to 8pm
Wednesday: 8am to 5pm
Thursday: 8am to 5pm
Friday: 8am to 5pm
After-hours responsibilities:
Call responsibilities are rotated amongst the doctors at CLEI. Fellows will be on call approximately every three weeks for 1 week. On average, call volume is 1 call per rotation, rarely requiring physical examination.
Attire:
Dark color scrubs are preferred. Professional attire is also acceptable. A white coat will be provided and worn at all times.
Location:
The institute is located in Teaneck, New Jersey, just over the George Washington Bridge from Manhattan. Public transit from New York City is available, with a bus stop located immediately in front of the clinic. Bus 167 to Port Authority and Bus 182 to GW Bridge bus station. Please be aware that the bus runs hourly.
Eligibility Critiera:
Candidates must earn the degree of Doctor of Optometry from a school or college of optometry accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education before the starting date of the fellowship program. Candidates must pass all portions of the NBEO. Candidate must attain New Jersey state licensure before or within two months of the fellowship start date. Non-citizens must live in the USA as a “Permanent Resident” or be eligible for F-1 Optional Practical Training (F-1 OPT) status.
Program Benefits:
Health care insurance coverage: Yes
Professional liability insurance: Yes, limited to our practice.
Licensing fee reimbursement: Yes. limited to the NJ state licensing fee only.
Paid time off: Yes, 2 weeks.
Sick leave: Yes, 1 week.
Educational time off: Yes, time off will be granted for all meetings with accepted abstracts and presentations. We strongly believe in education and networking. We will make all reasonable efforts to ensure your attendance at relevant conferences and activities that other CCL program residents attend.
Educational meeting and travel stipend: $2,500
Canadian applicants: Yes
Completion certificate: Yes
Hospital affiliations: No
Salary: $36,000 per year. Salary is not contingent on productivity.
Outside work: Permitted. Fellows are encouraged to work in a corporate setting on weekends to maintain primary care clinical skills. Note, liability insurance and licensing will not cover outside work and priority must be given to call dues at CLEI.
Application Process:
Send a CV, letter of intent, and three letters of reference from individuals familiar with the applicant’s clinical and academic performance. Be available for a formal interview with the fellowship committee. E-mail all applications to jgelles@vision-institute.com. Remember, candidates must earn the degree of Doctor of Optometry from a school or college of optometry accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education before the starting date of the fellowship program. Candidates must pass all portions of the NBEO. Candidate must attain New Jersey state licensure before or within two months of the fellowship start date. Non-citizens must live in the USA as a “Permanent Resident” or be eligible for F-1 Optional Practical Training (F-1 OPT) status.
