Ophthalmology Residency About the Program

The Sinai Hospital residency program in ophthalmology offers an intimate and intensive learning environment. Residents will be exposed to all areas of ophthalmology, including experience in general ophthalmology and all the ophthalmic subspecialties of cornea and external ocular disease, glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmology, ophthalmic anesthesiology, orbital and ophthalmic plastic surgery, pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus, retinal disease, uveitis and ophthalmic pathology.

In July 2019, we were granted a temporary complement increase to accept residents from Hahnemann Hospital after it closed. The ACGME approved a permanent complement increased to three residents per year in 2021.

The Krieger Eye Institute, located on the campus of Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, sees more than 30,000 patients per year in its state-of-the-art facility.

The Krieger Eye Institute is proud to offer both a resident continuity clinic as well as VA rotations. The combination of these two opportunities gives residents excellent surgical volume in addition to incremental autonomy, which is important to learning how to practice independently with confidence and competence.

Residents spend approximately one half of their time in the SGES (Sinai General Eye Service) clinic and the other half of their time rotating in the subspecialty clinics and in surgery with the full-time attending physicians. Second and third year residents have a four month rotation at the Martinsburg, WV Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The VA is located an hour west of Baltimore, and residents can choose to commute back and forth, or stay in an apartment on the VA campus. Mileage for travel to and from the VA is reimbursed at a rate of $0.565 per mile, or approximatel $48 each way.

First year residents (PGY-II) will spend time with the neuro-ophthalmology, pediatric ophthalmology, cornea, and oculoplastics attendings in outpatient clinics. Additionally, first year residents will complete an oculoplastic surgery rotation.

Second year residents (PGY-III) spend a rotation with glaucoma, retina, neuro-ophthalmology and pediatric ophthalmology attendings in the outpatient clinics and in the operating room.

Third year residents will assist and perform surgery with vitreo-retinal, cornea and cataract attendings.

Residents will also receive a broad didactic education, which takes place in the classroom, with hands-on surgical training and research experience. We utilize an on site EyeSi surgical simulator, animal eyes and Kitaro wet/dry lab for surgical simulation.

Residents are required to participate in a Quality Improvement under supervision of a faculty mentor. Third year residents present their projects at the annual Krieger Symposium, and all residents gain experience with presenting case presentations at the Krieger Symposium.

Our joint internship (PGY-1 year) is with the internal medicine residency program at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. The joint internship is required of all interns in accordance with the ACGME ophthalmology program requirements. A joint program means that the internship is managed by the internal medicine residency program, not by the ophthalmology program, but we work together to ensure you receive the best education. This requires a separate match for the internship.

This internship includes a total of three months of ophthalmology rotations, as required by the ACGME. Interns will have two months of ophthalmology rotations, ophthalmology buddy call and an ophthalmology continuity clinic one half day per week. In total, this adds up to three months of ophthalmology, but allows for continuity of learning throughout the year.

Interns will have two months of night float, one month of ICU, and six months of internal medicine including some electives. Interns on the ophthalmology service will be expected to learn how to use our EMR, how to check vision, pressure, refraction, and all technical components of an eye exam.  They will be given lessons on all of these aspects of the ophthalmology exam in addition to instruction on how to refract, and how to begin using ophthalmology diagnostic equipment.

Resident Salaries (2023-2024)

• PGY 2- $62,936.64

• PGY 3- $65,351.73

• PGY 4- $67,811.33

Benefits

• Complete Academy BCSC Series on iPad

• Wills Eye Manual

• Current iPad model

• Basic Lens Set

• Equipment and books

• Travel Expenses for one research meeting a year (as first author)

• Travel Expenses to American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting as PGY-4 (presentation not necessary)

• Subsidized International Elective (Aravind, India)

• Three weeks vacation per year (exclusive of holidays)