Coping With Eye Strain: What Works and What Doesn’t?

Mar 31, 2023 | Your Health

Eye strain is a common condition that can affect people of all ages. It can be uncomfortable, but it’s normally not a serious condition. Many people cope with eye strain in different ways by making minor changes in their routines, such as adjusting lighting at home or in the office, limiting the amount of time you spent on activities that require intense focus, or even trying special glasses.

In this Q&A, Christina Cherny, OD, an optometrist at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York’s top-ranked ophthalmology hospital, answers some frequently asked questions about eye strain, ways to cope, and how to know when you need to see a specialist. One suggestion: Don’t count on using blue-light blocking glasses, as research shows they don’t work.

What is eye strain and what are the symptoms?

Eye strain refers to a collection of symptoms that people may experience when their eyes are put in intense situations. These symptoms can include:

  • Watery or dry eyes.
  • Blurred vision or Increased sensitivity to light.
  • Headaches or difficulty concentrating.
  • Burning or itchy eyes.
  • Having a hard time keeping your eyes open.

A portrait of Christina Cherny, OD

Click here to make an appointment with Christina Cherny, OD

What causes eye strain?

A major cause of eye strain is when vision is not fully corrected because of an over or under correction in your prescription glasses. If the vision correction problem goes unsolved it can result in eye strain, especially when you are focusing on something for a long period of time. If you have misaligned eyes—a condition called strabismus—or other eye disorder that’s not corrected, then your binocular system (how the eyes see together) can get overworked, possibly causing eye strain. Eye strain is also frequently caused if you spend too much time staring at your computer, smart phone, or other digital device. It can also be the result of excessive reading or driving for long periods of time.

How is eye strain diagnosed?

A diagnosis of eye strain is mostly based on symptoms and a description of your daily activities. Eye care professionals offer tests that can help diagnose eye strain including refraction assessment (for nearsightedness or farsightedness) and visual field test (for peripheral vision) which will determine whether you need prescriptive eye glasses or if your current prescription is correct. Getting a complete eye exam is essential for overall eye health. Your eye care professional will recommend how often you need to have your eyes checked.

Can blue-light blocking glasses help?

This is a common question. Many consumers mistakenly believe these glasses can help. Research has shown that blue-light blocking glasses do not work as advertised. The research investigated if blue-light blocking lenses can be effective in reducing the signs and symptoms of eye strain associated with computer use. The study showed there was no difference between wearing clear glasses and wearing blue-light blocking glasses.

What can I do to cope with or prevent eye strain?

There are many tips that your eye care professional can recommend.

  • If you need a prescription for up-close viewing, make sure that you’re wearing the proper prescriptive lenses.
  • Take breaks from writing, reading, and driving.
  • Follow the 20-20-20 rule: Take a 20-second break to view something 20 feet away from you every 20 minutes.
  • Use lubricating eye drops, or screens that tilt/swivel, or a glare filter.
  • Try adjusting your light based on your activity or an adjustable chair to change your viewing angle.

Eye care professionals often suggest using low-reading prescription glasses (available in drug stores) as a way of preventing eye strain  If you have a more significant problem that might be contributing to eye strain, you may require vision therapy, which is a form of exercises for the eye.

How do I know when to see a specialist?

If you experience unresolved eye strain symptoms over an extended period of time— despite using the many coping tips or if you have any eye pain—it’s time to see an eye care professional. Getting a complete eye exam will help ensure that you are protecting one of your most important senses: vision.

New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai

How to Overcome Food Anxiety When You Have Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Updated on Mar 29, 2023 | Gastroenterology, Your Health


If you are one of the more than three million people in the United States living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), you are likely struggling with anxiety around food. Many living with IBD associate specific foods, or even whole food groups, with getting sick, and so they avoid many foods. This common misconception has led many with the disease to become malnourished.

Stephanie Gold, MD

In this Q&A, Stephanie Gold, MD, Instructor of Medicine (Gastroenterology) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, explains why IBD patients struggle with food anxiety, how they can overcome this problem, and where to get more information.

What is IBD, and how is it different from having a food intolerance or allergy?
IBD is a condition that includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Both are characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract that often leads to diarrhea, abdominal pain, and rectal bleeding. IBD can also lead to fatigue, weight loss, malnutrition, and vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Specific foods are not known to trigger IBD flares. IBD is different from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), food allergies, and food intolerances, as it is a chronic inflammatory condition of the entire digestive tract (Crohn’s disease), or specifically, the large intestine (ulcerative colitis), which can inhibit absorption and impair digestion.

How common is malnutrition among people with IBD, and what are the symptoms?
While the exact prevalence of malnutrition in patients with IBD is unknown, we estimate that about 30 percent of patients seen in our outpatient IBD clinic are malnourished, and up to 80 percent of those requiring hospitalization are malnourished. Malnutrition can produce few or mild symptoms, or it can result in more serious symptoms of increased fatigue and weakness, as well as specific symptoms associated with vitamin and mineral deficiencies, such as rash, mouth ulcers, muscle spasm, pins and needles, loss of appetite and irritability, and many other symptoms.

Why do many people with IBD have food anxiety, and how does this affect their everyday lives?
Patients with IBD often associate their gastrointestinal symptoms—abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, nausea or even vomiting—with the foods they eat. More specifically, patients commonly believe that a food they ate immediately prior to the development of an IBD flare or complication is the cause of their worsening disease, and naturally tend to avoid these foods in the future. While certain foods may contribute to gastrointestinal symptoms in some patients, food does not directly worsen IBD or cause disease flares. Unfortunately, IBD-related food anxiety can lead to a very restrictive diet overtime, which can result in long-term malnutrition and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

I have IBD. What should I eat?
All patients with IBD are unique and therefore should discuss diet and nutrition with their gastroenterologist. However, in general, here at Mount Sinai, we encourage our patients with IBD to eat a wide variety of foods and to have an overall healthy diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and heart healthy fats. While many used to believe that all patients with IBD need to avoid fruits and vegetables, we now understand that the micronutrients and certain types of fiber found in fresh produce can be very beneficial for the gastrointestinal tract. While raw fruits and vegetables may contribute to symptoms in some IBD patients, texture modification, such as peeling, cooking, and even pureeing specific, easier-to-tolerate fresh fruits and vegetables, can make these vital foods better tolerated in patients with active disease or ongoing symptoms. However, we guide dietary recommendations based on type of IBD as well as disease location, activity, and complications, and therefore, it is really important for patients to seek specific nutrition guidance from their gastroenterologist or dietitian. This is especially true of those with an ileostomy or intestinal narrowing (stricture), as this requires additional dietary modification. There is a lot of ongoing research in this area, and we hope to be able to better define a more specific, ideal diet for IBD patients in the future.

What resources are there to help me improve my diet?
It is essential that people with IBD ensure they are getting adequate nutrition from a wide variety of foods. The best thing they can do is seek out professional guidance from a registered dietitian who specializes in working with IBD patients. Since there is not one specific diet that we can recommend for all patients with IBD, a registered dietitian can help evaluate and broaden the diet based on your specific disease type, location, activity, and current symptoms. To find a dedicated IBD dietitian, you can ask your gastroenterologist for a referral. In addition, many of the gastroenterology societies, including the American Gastroenterological Association, have lists of registered dietitians who specialize in IBD that are available to the public. Patients with IBD should feel empowered to ask their gastroenterologist any nutrition-related questions and inquire about additional support from a registered dietitian when needed.

Contact the Nutrition-IBD clinic at The Susan and Leonard Feinstein Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Mount Sinai

How You Can Manage Type 2 Diabetes

Mar 24, 2023 | Diabetes, Your Health


More than 37 million people in the United States have diabetes, and 90-95 percent of them have type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Type 2 diabetes occurs when your cells don’t respond normally to insulin, a hormone created by your pancreas that regulates blood sugar in your body for energy.

While the incidence of type 2 diabetes is rising, you can prevent or delay the disease with active lifestyle changes.

David Lam, MD, Associate Professor of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone disease at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, explains what is behind the rising number of people with type 2 diabetes and how we can actively treat and prevent this disease.

Why is type 2 diabetes so prevalent?

Type 2 diabetes has been increasing in prevalence all over the world over the last few decades, and the biggest driver is likely the rising incidence of obesity. Though it is still being studied, the prevailing thought is that obesity leads to a state of inflammation in the body caused by fat cells releasing inflammatory chemicals. When that happens, insulin, a hormone your body produces to regulate blood sugar levels, doesn’t work as well, and your body becomes more resistant to insulin. This is ultimately the pathway that leads to type 2 diabetes.

What is the impact of type 2 diabetes on a person’s life?

Type 2 diabetes can affect you in many ways—the actual disease, the monitoring recommendations that clinicians provide, and even the treatments we prescribe—can all affect your life.

From a disease perspective, symptoms of high or low blood sugar can affect how you feel. Complications that arise from long-term or not-well-controlled diabetes can include neuropathy—a type of nerve damage that can cause numbness or weakness—and kidney or eye disease. Some of the medications we prescribe can have side effects and need to be taken multiple times a day.

What are a few steps the average type 2 diabetes patient can do to remain healthy?

The first step is to receive regular care and follow-ups with your health care team—not just with your clinician, but with a nurse educator, a nutritionist, an ophthalmologist, or any other specialists that’s involved in your health care. This ensures you are on the right track to take steps to improve your overall health. It is also important to take medications as prescribed, and talk with your health care team if there are any issues. The second step is to get regular physical activity. And the final step is to be mindful of carbohydrate intake, such as limiting things like soda, refined grains such as white bread, and many snack foods.

Who is most at risk for developing type 2 diabetes?

You are most at risk for developing type 2 diabetes if you are a person with obesity; have a history of prediabetes, or a history of gestational diabetes; if you have a sedentary lifestyle and/or a family history of diabetes.

How can I support my family members with type 2 diabetes?
Be present and open to hearing what they need and understand what they are going through. Listen to what they say, avoid giving them unsolicited advice, and be sensitive to their needs. For example, if they say, “It’s really hard when I go to parties or family events, and all there is to eat is carbs,” be sensitive to that. Talk to friends and family members about why it’s important to have healthy foods at parties and gatherings. The diet we recommend for patients living with diabetes is a diet everyone can benefit from.

If societal factors are to blame, what can Mount Sinai and other health care organizations do to help reduce the prevalence of the disease?

The first is ensuring individuals have access to health care. It really takes a village to treat someone living with diabetes. You might need dieticians, primary care physicians, endocrinologists, ophthalmologists, pharmacists; it takes a big multidisciplinary team.

We have to make sure patients have access to these specialists, especially those who are at the most at risk. The medications we frequently prescribe can be very expensive. There are programs that can help reduce the cost of the medications, and patients might need the help from us in navigating these programs. Lastly, larger organizations can really help support prevention programs. There are established, research-proven diabetes prevention programs that really focus on weight loss, and they have been shown to help reduce the progression from prediabetes to diabetes. Larger organizations can help support these programs to make an impact on those who are at risk.

Learn more about diabetes care at Mount Sinai
Read more about Your Health

Should I Take a Genetic Cancer Test?

Updated on Mar 23, 2023 | Cancer, Your Health

Knowing your genetic risks for cancer might seem scary. However, by taking a genetic cancer test, you will have even more peace of mind, because you will have a powerful tool to help prevent it.

Stephanie Blank, MD, Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Director of Gynecologic Oncology for the Mount Sinai Health System, answers some common questions about genetic cancer tests. Dr. Blank is also Director of Women’s Health at the Blavatnik Family Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai and Associate Director in The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai with a focus on women’s cancers.

What are hereditary cancers?

Hereditary cancers are cancers you may be more likely to get due to a pattern in one of your genes. If you have a mutation in a certain gene, you may be at a higher risk for cancer. Some of the most common mutations associated with cancer are BRCA 1 and 2. If you have a mutation in one or both genes, you have an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers.

How do you determine if you are at risk for hereditary cancer?

Family history is important, and there are a few different elements you need to know. It’s important that you know both the maternal and the paternal side of your family history, if those relatives had any cancers, what cancers they were, the ages of family members at diagnosis of those cancers, as well as their age of death, regardless of whether it was from cancer or not. When you have your family history and draw it out in a tree, you may notice many areas where there are relatives who had cancers, and you can trace that. Another important thing to know is if any family members had genetic testing and their results.

What would be considered a risk factor in someone’s family history?

Some red flags include relatives who got cancer extremely young or multiple family members who got the same cancer, including individuals who got more than one cancer and unusual cancers. In that situation, it is important to know the age of the family member’s diagnosis, and if they had any genetic testing done.

Does my ethnic background increase my risks for genetic cancer?

People from certain ethnic backgrounds, such as those who are Ashkenazi Jewish, may be at increased risk of having a genetic mutation, but there are others, including French Canadian and Icelandic—and we are always discovering more.

How do I find out for sure if I am at risk for hereditary cancer?

If you think you might be at increased risk of cancer based on your family history or ethnicity, speak with your doctor about how to get tested. At Mount Sinai, we provide both genetic testing and genetic counseling. In addition to testing, genetic counseling can help determine if you have one of these mutations. Oftentimes, you may see a genetic counselor either prior to getting the testing or afterwards. Testing generally consists of a blood test but can also be a swab from the inside of your cheek. If you do have a mutation, we can use that information to help you plan for how you are going to screen for or prevent cancer.

Will my health insurance cover the costs of genetic cancer testing?

Health insurance typically covers genetic testing, but you should confirm this with your health insurance provider. If your provider does not cover it, Mount Sinai’s genetic counselors can work with you to minimize the cost.

Why should I get tested to find out if I am at risk for hereditary cancer?

If you know your risk, there is a lot you can do to help yourself. If you have a BRCA 1 mutation, for example, you know you are at higher risk for several cancers, breast and ovarian being the most common, as well as pancreatic and prostate cancer. If you are a woman with a BRCA 1 mutation, you can start getting mammograms and magnetic resonance imaging early. Even if you do not have cancer yet, you might consider medication and even surgery to prevent breast cancer from forming.

If you have a genetic risk for ovarian cancer, you might go on birth control pills, which diminish the risk of ovarian cancer. Even if you already have ovarian cancer, we recommend genetic testing, because around 25 percent of ovarian cancer is genetic. Knowing if you have the mutation has a profound effect on your care, since we use different treatments depending on whether the cancer is genetic. Knowing if your cancer is genetic is even more important for determining prognosis. If you have a mutation, it is important that you tell your family members, so they can get tested and take measures to reduce their own risk.

Are most cancers genetic?

Most cancers are not genetic. Not having a mutation does not mean you won’t get cancer; we just don’t know what the likelihood is. When somebody has a mutation, we know a lot more about the likelihood of getting cancer, or the age at which they might get cancer. Hereditary information and knowing your risk of cancer is an opportunity to prevent it.

Get a genetic cancer test at Mount Sinai.

Food Intolerance or Food Allergy? How to Spot the Symptoms and Get Help

Updated on Mar 23, 2023 | Allergy, Gastroenterology, Your Health

Bloating, diarrhea, vomiting—these are just some of the unpleasant symptoms that food allergies and intolerances can trigger.

It’s normal to experience stomach issues from time to time. But if you find yourself experiencing them on a regular basis, you may have developed a food intolerance or a food allergy.

You can still enjoy a healthy, balanced diet. But if you think you have a food intolerance or allergy, you should not try to diagnose it yourself and should talk with a medical provider. Food allergies and intolerances can be difficult to identify, and trying to resolve them on your own may lead you to eliminate foods from your diet unnecessarily.

Laura Manning, MPH, RDN, CDN

In this Q&A, Laura Manning, MPH, RDN, CDN, a registered dietitian at the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center in The Mount Sinai Hospital, explains the differences between food intolerances and allergies, how to identify the symptoms, and how to seek help.

What are food allergies?

When someone has an immune response and produces an allergy antibody against a certain food, they have a food allergy. The most common food allergies are milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans, which are behind a majority of food allergies in the United States, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Allergic reactions typically occur within minutes, or up to two hours after ingestion.

What are the symptoms of food allergies?

An allergic reaction occurs every time you eat a food you are allergic to. Common symptoms include coughing, wheezing, itching, lip tingling, rashes, mouth swelling, hives, throwing up, and breathing difficulties. In severe cases, food allergies can cause people to go into shock and can be life threatening. You can experience changes in blood pressure and narrowing of your airways, which can cause difficulty breathing or vomiting.

What are food intolerances?

A food intolerance may happen when you lack enzymes responsible for digesting a certain food or food group. A common example is lactose intolerance, in which a person lacks a key enzyme for digesting lactose, a sugar found in milk. Other common examples of foods that may be poorly tolerated are beans, garlic, mushrooms, onions, and watermelon. These are foods that are high in FODMAPS, or fermentable carbohydrates, including lactose, fructose, fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides, and polyols.  These can rapidly ferment during digestion causing gas, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation when consumed in high amounts. Food intolerances typically develop in the gastrointestinal tract or the digestive system, and can sometimes be triggered by stomach infections. Certain gastrointestinal conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), can make someone more susceptible to FODMAP intolerances. Because FODMAPs are in a wide array of foods, it is important to seek help from a medical provider and trained dietitian to identify the foods causing the problem without completely eliminating them from a healthy diet.

What are the symptoms of food intolerances?

When you eat foods your body cannot digest, you will experience discomfort, including gas and bloating, and may also experience diarrhea, constipation, reflux, and gas.

What is the difference between food intolerances and food allergies?

Unlike food allergies, food intolerances do not involve the immune system, do not cause allergic reactions, and are not life threatening. People with food intolerances can usually have small amounts of these foods without a reaction, whereas those with allergies cannot. Those with food intolerances may even be able to acclimate themselves to these foods by eating small amounts over time, whereas those with food allergies cannot have even the smallest amount without a reaction. However, some food allergies may change or go away on their own with time, especially after adolescence. If you have a known food allergy, an allergist can help you safely retrial the foods you are allergic to.

How are food allergies diagnosed and treated?

A skin prick test, typically on the upper back or forearm, or blood test can identify food allergies. Because food allergies cannot be eliminated, you will need to avoid eating foods that trigger your allergies, including foods that have been manufactured in factories where those foods are also processed (a warning should be displayed on food labels). Working closely with a board certified allergist will help determine what your reactions are to certain foods and best treatments. You can schedule an appointment at the Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. You can also find qualified food allergists nationwide through The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

How are food intolerances diagnosed and treated? Can I use a food sensitivity test?

Unlike food allergies, there are no official tests for food intolerances, which makes them more difficult to diagnose. While food sensitivity tests are available and popular, they are not FDA-approved, are unreliable, and frequently lead people to eliminate foods unnecessarily, which can lead to health issues. If you have an intolerance triggered by a FODMAP, going on a supervised food elimination diet, or low FODMAP diet, can help you identify the foods behind the intolerance. This diet involves eliminating high FODMAP foods and then slowly reintroducing them to identify the triggers. To avoid malnutrition, you should only go on this diet with guidance from a gastroenterologist and a trained registered dietitian. These experts will guide you through the process of identifying foods you are intolerant to and help you modify your diet in the healthiest way possible.

Contact the Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Icahn Mount Sinai
Find a gastroenterologist at Mount Sinai
Find a registered nutritionist through Clinical Nutrition Department at The Mount Sinai Hospital

Three Years After the Start of the Pandemic, Reasons for Hope and Continued Vigilance

Updated on Mar 17, 2023 | COVID Response, COVID-19, Featured, Your Health

It has been three years since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organization. With New York City as an early epicenter, residents were hit hard. But from that experience, health care providers and researchers across the city found the opportunity to learn more about the virus and how to prepare for future pandemics.

Today, the city’s level of community transmission of COVID-19 is considered low, and the percentage of people who have completed their primary series of COVID-19 vaccinations is relatively high, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Similarly, hospitalization and mortality rates from COVID-19 remained low in recent months, compared to the period between 2020 and 2022.

Bernard Camins, MD

These factors mean that New Yorkers can probably afford to relax their vigilance compared to previous years, notes Bernard Camins, MD, Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Medical Director for Infection Prevention at the Mount Sinai Health System.

“We have come a long way. However, we still need to monitor how COVID-19 is affecting those who are at high risk of complications.”

Bernard Camins, MD

Who should remain vigilant?

Vulnerable groups include those who are immunocompromised, and those aged 50 and older, even if they’ve been vaccinated for COVID-19. People with certain underlying medical conditions, such as cancer; chronic kidney, lung, or liver disease; dementia; diabetes; heart conditions, or obesity are also considered at heightened risk.

For younger or healthy individuals, having COVID-19 these days might involve cold-like or mild symptoms, says Judith Aberg, MD, Chief of Infectious Diseases for the Mount Sinai Health System and Dr. George Baehr Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Icahn Mount Sinai. But vulnerable populations are at risk for developing severe disease, she adds. This includes hospitalization, needing intensive care, requiring a ventilator to breathe, or even death.

For at-risk groups, masking is recommended, as is avoiding large indoor gatherings. People planning to be organ donors should also remain vigilant for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, as an active infection could complicate one’s ability to donate, Dr. Aberg says.

“Also, people seem to have forgotten about hand hygiene; that is still important,” she notes.

What protection measures are available today?

With the federal Test to Treat initiative in place nationwide since 2022, symptomatic individuals who test positive for COVID-19 at testing sites can receive antiviral treatment, such as Paxlovid, on the spot.

“Taking Paxlovid provides that extra protection from developing complications, and the sooner it is taken, the better,” says Dr. Camins. Patients are recommended to receive antiviral treatment within five days of developing symptoms.

“One mistake people make with antivirals is that they wait to see if they feel better or worse before seeking treatment.”

Judith Aberg, MD

“If you’re a senior citizen, or have any of the underlying health conditions, when you test positive and have any symptoms, go seek treatment immediately. Do not wait,” says Dr. Aberg.

All individuals, and especially vulnerable populations, should stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, including the bivalent boosters, which are authorized for those ages 5 and older. “However, among people who were recommended to receive the bivalent booster, very few of them did,” Dr. Camins points out. “It seems many people have moved on regarding the pandemic before we really should.”

Judith Aberg, MD

According to the CDC, 17 percent of the U.S. population ages 5 and up have received the updated booster. In New York, that number is 18 percent.

Data have shown that the updated boosters either prevented infection or reduced the possibility of developing severe disease in people who received them. Another possible benefit of keeping up to date with vaccination is that it might prevent new variants from being as deadly as previous strains, Dr. Aberg says.

Will we need annual boosters?

Just as the bivalent boosters were updated to protect against current circulating variants and strains of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, researchers and officials are monitoring how the pathogen continues to evolve. Most of the scientific and medical community believe that the virus is headed in the direction of becoming endemic, or regularly occurring, Dr. Aberg says. “However, the jury is still out on whether annual updated boosters will be necessary,” she adds.

Neither the Food and Drug Administration nor the CDC has made any determinations on recommending annual COVID-19 shots, unlike what they have done with the flu. The data on COVID-19 collected over the recent winter could provide clarity on whether another shot might be needed this fall, says Dr. Aberg.

There are other seasonal coronaviruses and rhinoviruses that cause respiratory infections that do not require annual boosters. “It’s hard to predict whether the virus will take another turn to cause more morbidity or mortality. We’ll have to wait to see what the data shows us,” Dr. Aberg says.

What other things about COVID-19 should we be aware of?

The public health emergency declaration, which has been in place since 2020, will come to an end on Thursday, May 11, 2023. This might have implications regarding cost sharing or coverage regarding various COVID-19-related services, such as testing, treatment, or vaccinations. This might mean some services will no longer be free or will start requiring copays, depending on the insurance.

While the New York State Department of Health has not released any guidance on cost impacts, providers need to inform their patients and communities to follow up with their insurance companies and be aware of possible coverage changes, Dr. Aberg says.

“People need to be informed about potential costs before seeking COVID-19 care,” Dr. Aberg notes. “But on the other hand, we don’t want people to avoid seeking help because of cost.” If a patient experiences troubling symptoms, such as shortness of breath or fever, they should see a primary care doctor or go to the emergency room, she adds.

The medical and science community is also closer to understanding post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, or the condition colloquially known as “long COVID.”

Anyone who is infected with COVID-19 has a risk of going on to develop long COVID, in which individuals experience symptoms that persist beyond three months after the acute phase. An estimated 1 in 13 adults in the United States have long COVID, according to the CDC.

“We’re starting to zero in on specific biomarkers for people with long COVID,” says David Putrino, PhD, Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for the Mount Sinai Health System. These include platelet hyperactivation, microclots, immune dysfunction, and microbiome dysfunction.

“We are getting the science to a place where we may finally be able to identify this condition objectively.”

David Putrino, PhD

David Putrino, PhD

This has allowed providers to be better educated about the sorts of things that could cause long COVID symptoms to flare up, Dr. Putrino says. The availability of objective biomarkers also means the ability to start testing therapeutics to treat long COVID.

“A year ago, I would have thrown my hands in the air and said there were no good drug trials for long COVID,” Dr. Putrino says. “Now, I feel a little confident that we can start promising patients that these trials are on the horizon.”

“We’re getting close to getting therapeutics to prescribe. I’m hoping that will be a reality over the next two years or so,” Dr. Putrino says.

Read more about how COVID-19 research has progressed throughout the pandemic

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