"A Slip Of The Knife" - Victoria Dwek

It was just after sunrise on May 1, 2019, and Joseph Goldstein was hard at work at the meat processing plant where he was employed. When lifting a heavy animal, his knife slipped and went directly into his eye. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary at Mount Sinai is the only active eye trauma center in New York, with a select group of surgeons who are skilled in repairing this intricate and delicate organ. Joseph immediately met with Richard Koplin, MD, founder of the eye trauma service at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, who said “Whenever we are faced with a catastrophic case, it can weigh heavily on everyone involved, both the surgeon and the patient. Joseph was faced with the possibility of losing his eye. When I saw his injury, I didn’t think it was going to go well. I didn’t think he could be rehabilitated. The knife had gone right through the center of his cornea, causing a cataract and his retina to become detached. He had as much trauma as one person can tolerate. And it was remarkable that he didn’t get an infection.” Jospeh also met with Ronald Gentile, MD, FACS, FASRS, director of the Ocular Trauma Service at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, who put all the pieces of Joseph’s eye back in the right place. According to Dr. Gentile, “It’s a very meticulous procedure that uses a microscope to repair the retina little by little. It takes a lot of concentration and very slow movements to work in such a small area.”

— Richard Koplin, MD, Clinical Professor, Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Co-Director, Cataract Division, Founder, New York Eye and Ear Trauma Service, Founder, Director, Computer Science Bio Engineering Department, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai

— Ronald C. Gentile, MD, FACS, FASRS, Professor, Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Ocular Trauma Service, Surgeon director, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai