Q&A: Kira Manusis, MD, on how the Center for Refractive Solutions is redefining patient care at NYEE

Kira Manusis, MD, meets with a patient to explore advanced solutions for reducing dependence on glasses and contacts. (Image courtesy of New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai)

The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE) recently opened its Center for Refractive Solutions—the first of its kind in New York City—bringing together advanced surgical and laser technologies under one roof to help patients reduce their dependency on glasses and contact lenses.¹ Kira Manusis, MD, director of the center, recently spoke with Sheryl Stevenson, executive editor of the Eye Care Network, about the center’s innovative treatments and its role in transforming vision correction care.²

Note: The following discussion has been lightly edited for clarity.

What was the inspiration for the Center for Refractive Solutions?

Kira Manusis, MD: There’s all this buzz about artificial intelligence. Anywhere you turn it’s all about AI, right? AI is going to rule the world. I’ve had more and more patients come in and say, is there an AI type of a lens? Is there AI technology for our vision? What can you do to improve my vision and reduce my dependence on glasses? Can artificial intelligence help?

The brainchild of the development of our Center for Refractive Solutions was we wanted to bring all of our talented faculty together under one roof, get all the latest equipment, and be able to offer all kinds of refractive solutions to patients in every age category.

What specific types of procedures are performed at the Center?

Manusis: For example, if someone comes in and they’re in their 20s and they have either nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, we may be offering laser vision correction, including LASIK, PRK, SMILE, and evaluating them to see if they are a candidate depending on their health of the eye and their daily needs.

Someone who is a little bit older, for example, someone in their early 40s, we may discuss a refractive lens exchange. It’s a procedure where we take out a clear, natural lens and replace it by an artificial lens. That lens is there for life, and that lens can reduce dependence on glasses or completely eliminate dependence on glasses. In addition, these patients will never need to go through cataract surgery again.

If someone comes in and they are a very high end of nearsightedness, very, very high myopia, as we call it, and they’re a little bit younger, we may discuss an EVO ICL procedure, which is an implantable collamer lens that sits on top of our natural lens. It’s a completely reversible procedure. It’s just like a contact lens, but it’s inside the eye, and it can correct very high degrees of nearsightedness, especially in someone who desires less dependence on contacts or glasses but is not a candidate for laser vision correction.

VIDEO: Inside NYEE’s new refractive solutions center with Kira Manusis, MD

And then as we age, we have a huge aging population, and more and more everyone wants to be better than 20/20 and they don’t want to wear glasses. There’s a whole range of lenses that we can discuss as part of an evaluation for cataract surgery. They would come in and they would get a thorough exam to make sure that they don’t have other eye pathologies. And if they do, we could address it, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration. Once these pathologies are addressed, it will help us select the appropriate intraocular lens as part of a discussion for cataract surgery. Obviously the lens will depend on the eye’s health. In a healthy eye, any lens is appropriate obviously as long as the patient understands the risks and benefits of each particular lens, and then someone who has other pathologies we may guide them towards other implants.

More recently, there’s been a lot more interest in a Light Adjustable Lens, which is a lens that’s placed in the eye at the time of cataract surgery. The difference in this lens compared to others is that it can be adjusted later it can be adjusted after surgery, so sort of fine-tuned. For example, if we need to correct nearsightedness and astigmatism and give someone a little bit of near vision, we could check them after surgery. If we need to fine tune, give them a little bit more near or a little bit less near we can do that in a couple of months after surgery. That’s been a popular choice recently, and these lenses can go in the eye that has glaucoma, macular degeneration. That’s really not one of the lenses that can be excluded.

How does the Center enhance the existing capabilities in vision correction at NYEE?

Manusis: We obviously have had the technology, but we never had everything under one roof. We made sure that we bought the latest technology to help us figure out which patient is a candidate for which procedure and exclude those that are not, which is even more important.

Comprehensive diagnostic testing under one roof enables precise, customized care at the Center for Refractive Solutions. (Image courtesy of New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai)

We have a few rooms dedicated to diagnostic testing where patients undergo a thorough evaluation—every test that’s appropriate for whichever procedure is discussed. This also helps us take care of patients postoperatively to make sure that everything is going well and everything is healing well, and we are able to image them and take care of them with their postoperative needs.

How do you see patient care evolving with the integration of the Center?

Manusis: We already have had patients come in and comment on how beautiful and new everything is. Patients love to see new technology. They walk into our diagnostic room and they’re like, 'Oh, my goodness, look at all these machines.' They actually enjoy going from one machine to the other. What does this machine show and what does this machine tell us? It’s great to do that to be able to educate our patients as we go from one testing to the next, to teach them about their eyes, to teach them how to take care of their eyes, to discuss their treatment options with them, refractive goals. We want patients not only to see well, but be less dependent on glasses, and we don’t want to miss any other pathologies.

What training or education will the Center offer to residents or visiting ophthalmologists?

Manusis: As you may know, we are a teaching institution. We have the largest residency program in the country. We definitely have residents under the roof, and whenever residents have a question or need any sort of imaging done, they can always bring a patient to us. We’re in the same building and we can help them with those diagnostics. We have a fellow who rotates with us and who loves being in this new center learning about new technology, using utilizing new toys. And we always have international students rotate and medical students rotate. This is a great window into what the future holds for eye care.

Can you share your vision and goals for the Center for the next 1 or 2 years or so?

Manusis: One or 2 years hopefully decades to come we’ll be adding to our fantastic faculty. New faces, new knowledge from other places from all over the world. Hopefully, we’ll continue growing. There’s definitely room in the center as the technology advances. Who knows what’s to come! But in the next 1-2 years I’m hoping that we’ll provide the latest and the greatest to our patients. This is what we need to do. We have to provide the best quality of care. We need happy patients, healthy eyes.

References

1. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai opens first comprehensive center for refractive solutions in New York. News release. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. June 5, 2025. Accessed June 13, 2025. https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2025/new-york-eye-and-ear-infirmary-of-mount-sinai-opens-first-comprehensive-center-for-refractive-solutions-in-new-york

2. Stevenson S. Inside NYEE’s new refractive solutions center with Kira Manusis, MD. Ophthalmology Times. June 20, 2025. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/view/inside-nyee-s-new-refractive-solutions-center-with-kira-manusis-md