UAMS Jones Eye Institute Advises Eye Protection for April Eclipse

By Benjamin Waldrum

Proper eye protection is highly important when viewing an eclipse, said experts at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute.

On April 8, the continental United States will be treated to a total eclipse of the sun. This amazing phenomenon will be the first total eclipse to cross Arkansas since 1918. The path of totality, where the sun is completely covered by the moon, will last a little over two minutes in Little Rock and up to twice as long in the southwestern corner of the state.

“This amazing phenomenon is worth seeing, but you need proper eye protection to see it safely,” said Katie Brown, O.D., an optometrist with the Jones Eye Institute.

UAMS Jones Eye Institute Advises Eye Protection for April Eclipse

UAMS Jones Eye Institute Ophthalmology Residency Program Rises to 9th Nationally in Research Output

By Benjamin Waldrum

Sept. 13, 2023 | The Doximity online networking service recently ranked the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute’s ophthalmology residency program ninth nationally among 125 programs in research output. The institute rose four places from its ranking of 13th last year.

The institute has 16 residency slots and ranked ahead of several larger ophthalmology programs, which can have up to double the number of residents. This year’s top 10 programs, listed with the number of residency slots, are:

1. Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School (36)

2. Johns Hopkins University (21)

3. University of Michigan Health System (21)

4. University of Pennsylvania Health System, Scheie Eye Institute (15)

5. University of California San Francisco (15)

6. UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA Medical Center (24)

7. University of Miami, Jackson Health System, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (21)

8. University of Southern California, Los Angeles General Medical Center (28)

9. UAMS Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute (16)

10. Duke University Hospital (24)

https://news.uams.edu/2023/09/13/uams-jones-eye-institute-ophthalmology-residency-program-rises-to-9th-nationally-in-research-output/

Image by Evan Lewis

Father and Son Follow Different Paths to Ophthalmology, Team Up at Jones Eye Institute

By Benjamin Waldrum

Father-son bonding can take many forms, like playing catch or going fishing together. For Joseph Chacko, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), and Tony Chacko, M.D., a UAMS ophthalmology resident, it began with seeing patients.

In the mid-1990s, Joseph Chacko was working in Arizona as a staff ophthalmologist at Phoenix Indian Medical Center, a part of the Indian Health Service within the U.S. Public Health Service. It wasn’t long before he began bringing a young “assistant” to work with him.

“When Tony was about 2 years old and walking, I would take him to see the post-op patients on Saturday mornings,” said Joseph Chacko. “He would help me by handing me cotton swabs so that I could lift the patient’s eyelid. That was his first introduction to eye patients. At age 3 he would put on a shirt and a little tie, and act like he was going to work.”

https://news.uams.edu/2023/08/04/father-and-son-follow-different-paths-to-ophthalmology-team-up-at-jones-eye-institute/

Ophthalmology is a family affair for resident Tony Chacko, M.D., (left) and his father, Joseph Chacko, M.D., director of neuro-ophthalmology at the UAMS Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute. Image by Benjamin Waldrum