“I have a lot of patients come to me with dry, tired, irritated eyes. There are many, many causes for these problems. They can be sometimes weather-related, environmentally related due to exposure. They can be work-related fumes and toxic types of fumes, computer use, reading. Even watching television can lead to dry, irritated eyes. There can be problems with the eye lids, inflammation with the eye lids, inflammation of the oil glands, which can also often contribute to this problem. We usually use lubricating eye drops, which are over-the-counter, a form of artificial tears. Often we suggest preservative-free eye drops for people. We can also use an over-the-counter lubricating eye ointment for such problems. Occasionally, we will also recommend warm compresses to deal with the inflammation.”
Make an appointment with Monica Dweck, MD
Monica Dweck, MD is a board-certified ophthalmologist at Mount Sinai Doctors, seeing patients of all ages Monday – Friday in Brooklyn Heights. Trained in New York City and Cleveland, she is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, a board member of the New York State Board of Medicine, and a professional member of the National Medical Association and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. After majoring in Psychology at Princeton University, she was awarded her medical degree from SUNY Downstate Medical Center and completed her residency in Ophthalmology at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and her fellowship in Ocular Plastic Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dr. Dweck has been annually recognized in the US News and World Report’s “Top Doctor” list since 2011, Castle Connolly’s “New York Metro Best Doctors” issue since 2000, and the New York Times Magazine “New York Super Doctors” list since 2009. Prior to joining Mount Sinai Doctors, Dr. Dweck served as Director of Oculoplastic Surgery, Vice Chair, and Residency Program Director in the Department of Ophthalmology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. She has a particular interest in eyelid, dry eye, and tearing problems and surgery in both children and adults.
Mount Sinai Doctors, 300 Cadman Plaza West, is a two-floor multispecialty practice with a walk-in urgent care center and more than 35 specialties, including Adolescent Medicine, Allergy, Cardiology, Dermatology, Diabetes Education, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, General Surgery, Infectious Disease, Maternal & Fetal Medicine, Nephrology, OBGYN, Ophthalmology, Optometry & Optical Shop, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Pulmonology, Radiology, Rheumatology, Travel Medicine, Urology, and Vascular Surgery. The practice is located at 300 Cadman Plaza West, on the 17th and 18th floors, in Brooklyn Heights. You can make appointments online at http://www.mountsinai.org/bh or via ZocDoc at http://bit.ly/29LNAIG
“The best way to find a good pediatrician is to schedule a prenatal consult during your seventh month of pregnancy. It’s a great opportunity for you to sit down with the doctor and talk about his or her philosophy about medicine, about parenting, and make sure you feel comfortable with that physician and talking to them. You should work with a physician who is board certified in his or her field, which means that they’ve completed a residency training and passed an examination. It’s also a good idea to work with a doctor who is affiliated with a major academic medical center because that center will make sure the physician is up to date and practices appropriate standards of care. However, if over time you don’t feel comfortable with that physician for whatever reason, it is okay to switch at any time in the future.”
Stephen Turner, MD is a board-certified pediatrician and Medical Director at Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights. He has a particular interest in child development and is a proponent of childhood vaccinations, making sure that all his patients have the most accurate information regarding medical decisions. He offers free prenatal consultations every month. Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights is a two-floor practice with a walk-in urgent care center and more than 35 specialties. Located at 300 Cadman Plaza West, the practice is situated on the 17th and 18th floors.
“Congestive heart failure, also called CHF or heart failure in a simple term, is usually because of an inefficient performance of the heart. The heart has four chambers — two top chambers and two bottom chambers. When you have congestive heart failure, usually the chambers are enlarged and the left bottom wall chamber, called the left ventricle, is working inefficiently. When you have congestive heart failure, there is a water buildup around the heart and in the lungs, abdomen, liver, and the lower extremity. Usually, when you have congestive heart failure, you should take less salt and also probably should take medication called “water pills.” The common cause of congestive heart failure is usually high blood pressure, or a blocked artery because of poor circulation, or significant valve order disease. If you have concerns or questions about congestive heart failure, we recommend you see a cardiologist. I’m a board certified cardiologist at Mount Sinai Doctors in Brooklyn Heights. You can either see me or one of my colleagues who can do an echocardiogram or some other modality to evaluate if you have congestive heart failure and what’s the best way to help and treat heart failure.”
Ramesh Gowda, MD is a board-certified cardiologist at Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights. Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights is a two-floor multispecialty practice with a walk-in urgent care center and more than 35 specialties. Located at 300 Cadman Plaza West, the practice is situated on the 17th and 18th floors.
“Many young people believe that if there is no ejaculation then there is no risk of STI, sexually transmitted infection, or pregnancy. Neither of those are true. In fact, any time there is contact between the penis and the vagina, there is opportunity for semen or sperm to float into the canal and cause a sexually transmitted infection or to cause pregnancy. Make sure that even though your partner plans on pulling out before ejaculating that you use condoms because you can always have an infection when there’s contact between the two surfaces.”
Paula Elbirt, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician, specializing in Adolescent Medicine, at Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights. She has several published writings, including: Dr. Paula’s Good Nutrition Guide for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; Dr. Paula’s House Calls to Your Newborn; and Seventeen Magazine’s Guide to Sex and Your Body. She has a particular interest in adolescent empowerment and risk reduction. Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights is a two-floor practice with a walk-in urgent care center and more than 35 specialties. Located at 300 Cadman Plaza West, the practice is situated on the 17th and 18th floors.
“I don’t really like talking about kids getting sick. It’s not really a fun topic. But we need to talk about it. Especially as a newborn, your baby is very vulnerable to the germs outside. Everybody asks me when can I travel? When can I go on the subway? When can I go on a plane? There’s no easy answer. It’s all kind of a nerdy risk-benefit analysis.The germs are out there. They’re not just in the air, they’re from a person. So maybe there’s a five-foot rule. If you go too close to somebody and they cough on you or they touch you with a germ, now your child can get sick. What do we do when we are faced with a fever or an illness? The first step is bringing the fever down and then doing a quick analysis. Is our child breathing faster? Are they lethargic? That really needs to be done quickly. But if your youngster perks up and plays after you bring down the fever, hopefully it’s more of a viral illness. Here at Mount Sinai Doctors in Brooklyn Heights, we have same day sick visits every day because we know that’s an emergency when your child gets sick. So, we’ll go over at each visit what to look for, when to worry, and when not to worry. But a high fever, fast breathing, true lethargy, repetitive vomiting — this could be an emergency. So call us with any questions, and we’ll figure it out together.”
Hugh Gilgoff, MD is a board-certified pediatrician at Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights. He has a particular interest in newborn care, asthma, and development issues, incorporating teachings from both Eastern and Western medicine. He is a contributing author on the parenting blog, A Child Grows in Brooklyn, and is very active in the local community, speaking at PS 29, the Dodge YMCA, and several child-birth classes. Dr. Gilgoff is fluent in Spanish. He offers free prenatal consultations every month. Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights is a two-floor practice with a walk-in urgent care center and more than 35 specialties. Located at 300 Cadman Plaza West, the practice is situated on the 17th and 18th floors.
“Annual physicals are important because it’s an opportunity to check in with a doctor and run any concerns by them that you might have. Anything that might have popped up in the last year, or maybe you haven’t had a physical in more than that. It’s never wrong to ask questions about your health. In general, annual physicals are about prevention, talking to a doctor, before you get sick, to see if there’s anything that you can do to stay as healthy as possible. We also manage chronic illnesses. So if you already have something, of course, it’s something that we would help you with. But in general, the annual physical is about prevention. Sometimes it requires blood tests. Sometimes it requires shots. Sometimes it requires more invasive procedures. But you would never know unless you went and checked in. So keeping that in mind, you don’t always have to have a needle in your arm every time you go to your physical. Try to go once a year, if anything just to chat.”
Camila Passias, MD is a board-certified primary care doctor at Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights, seeing patients Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. She has a particular interest in women’s health and is fluent in Spanish. Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights is a two-floor practice with a walk-in urgent care center and more than 35 specialties. Located at 300 Cadman Plaza West, the practice is situated on the 17th and 18th floors.
