Joshua D. Levinson, M.D.

Retina Specialist & Vitreoretinal Surgeon

Fellowship
Georgetown University Hospital
Washington Hospital Center
The Retina Group of Washington

Residency
Emory University School of Medicine

“I can’t imagine a more fulfilling career than helping people restore & preserve their vision. My goal as a retina specialist is to deliver the highest quality care while taking the time to ensure my patients and their families are well-informed and comfortable throughout the process.”

After graduating from the University of Georgia as a “First Honor Graduate,” Dr. Levinson attended medical school at Emory University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and was chosen by his peers as one of the five “Most Outstanding Medical Students.” He completed his residency in Ophthalmology at Emory and served as the department’s Chief Resident before finishing his two-year Surgical Retina fellowship. He then completed his two-year Surgical Retina Fellowship in the combined Retina Group of Washington-Washington Hospital Center-Georgetown University Hospital program, one of the highest-volume surgical fellowships in the country. Dr. Levinson has presented research at a myriad of national meetings including the American Society of Retina Specialists, Retina Society, Wash. Retina Symposium, Association for Research in Vision & Ophthalmology and the American Glaucoma Society.

Advocating for patients at both the state and local levels has afforded Dr. Levinson the opportunity to give back to those in need. He volunteered all through his med school years at the Open Door Clinic, a free community-based screening facility in Atlanta, was an Advocacy Ambassador for an American Academy of Ophthalmology program and helped develop an Ophthalmology Interest Group Clinical Skills Workshop to teach clinical skills to medical students.

Dr. Levinson authored over a dozen published research papers including research in improving the safety of intravitreal injections for macular degeneration and diabetes, outcomes of retinal surgery for retinal detachment and diabetic eye disease and inherited retinal dystrophies. His work has appeared in such journals as Ophthalmology Retina, American Journal of Ophthalmology, Retina, Journal of VitreoRetinal Diseases, Journal of Ophthalmology and Ophthalmic Surgery, Lasers & Imaging Retina and the Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.

Dr. Levinson was selected as a finalist in the Ophthalmology Times Research Scholar Honoree program at the American Academy of Ophthalmology for research work on improving the safety of intravitreal injections for macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Heavily involved in the education of Georgetown Ophthalmology residents at the Washington Hospital Center and Lions Eye Clinic, Dr. Levinson supervised residents in the eye clinic and trained them to perform retinal laser procedures for treatment of retinal tears and diabetic retinopathy as well as intravitreal injections of medications to treat macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema. He served as an instructor in the Walter Reed Ocular Trauma Surgery lab teaching military ophthalmologists-in-training surgical techniques for repair of eye injuries.

Media Appearances & Activities/Accomplishments

Ophthalmology Retina Publishes RGW Results of Research Study on Preventative Measures for Intravitreal Injections to Reduce Risk of Endophthalmitis by Dr. Joshua D. Levinson & RGW Colleagues

The results of a research study on the timing of intravitreal injections to reduce the risk of Endophthalmitis—conducted by Dr. Joshua D. Levinson and several other RGW doctors—were published in a recent issue of Ophthalmology Retina. Working with co-authors Dr. Richard A. Garfinkel, Dr. Daniel M. Berinstein and Dr. Frank A. Spellman, Dr. Levinson analyzed the effect of different injection protocols on the incidence of Endophthalmitis, a potentially serious bacterial infection of the eye. The study concluded that the use of a lid speculum, a tool that helps keep the eyelids open during the procedure, and adjusting the timing of administering the antibiotics was associated with a seven-fold decrease in the infection.

Read the Article

Joshua D. Levinson’s Research on Endophthalmitis Results In Safer Injection Techniques at Both Retina Group of Wash. Offices and Clinics Throughout the United States

Since joining The Retina Group of Washington as a Fellow just a few short years ago, Dr. Joshua D. Levinson has fashioned a formidable record of published research remarkable for a younger doctor. It is his most recent work on improving the safety of intravitreal injections that is perhaps the most meaningful to date; his findings made their way into the prominent journal, Ophthalmology Review, and he has presented them at the annual meetings of the American Society of Retinal Specialists (ASRS) and the Retina Society. They also earned him recognition as a Finalist in the Ophthalmology Times Research Scholar Honoree competition at the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Working with fellow RGW physicians and co-authors Dr. Richard A. Garfinkel, Dr. Daniel M. Berinstein and Dr. Frank A. Spellman, Dr. Levinson studied the side effects of medications administered via intravitreal injections to treat complications of Diabetes, exudative Macular Degeneration and Retinal Vein Occlusions. The most serious of those complications is Endophthalmitis–a bacterial infection of the eye–and thus the study involved analyzing various sterile techniques to improve the safety of the injections and reduce the incidence of infection.

Going back over the past 12 months, Dr. Levinson and his colleagues reviewed over 37,000 injections given to patients by RGW doctors. They concluded that using a lid speculum (a medical tool to help keep the eyelids open during the procedure) and altering the timing of antibiotics was associated with a seven-fold decrease in the incidence of endophthalmitis. The results of the study have already been implemented into the practice protocol; they led to the standardization of injection technique at each of the 15 offices throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area, as well as numerous clinics throughout the country.

Dr. Levinson has authored over a dozen other published research papers, studying such other important topics as the outcomes of retinal surgery for retinal detachment & diabetic eye disease and inherited retinal dystrophies. He is also heavily involved in training Georgetown Ophthalmology residents at the Washington Hospital Center to perform intravitreal injections for treatment of Macular Degeneration & Diabetic Macular Edema and to perform retinal laser procedures to treat Retinal Tears and Diabetic Retinopathy.

Doctors Levinson, Berinstein, and Garfinkel Present At the Annual Meeting of the Retina Society

Dr. Joshua Levinson , Dr. Daniel Berinstein & Dr. Richard Garfinkel of The Retina Group of Washington presented on “Improving the Safety of Intravitreal Injections” at the annual meeting of the Retina Society in Boston, MA. Intravitreal injections are frequently used to treat vision loss from diabetic macular edema and exudative (“wet”) macular degeneration. The RGW team analyzed the group’s collective experience with over 35,000 injections performed in 2016 and identified strategies to improve the safety of intravitreal injections. As a result of the study, these techniques have been adopted by academic centers and private practices across the country.

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