ASCRS News: Annual Meeting Preview
April 2022
by Ellen Stodola
Editorial Co-Director
The 2022 ASCRS Subspecialty Day will take place on Friday, April 22 ahead of the official kickoff of the ASCRS Annual Meeting. EyeWorld spoke to the program chairs of the three subspecialty programs focusing on refractive, cornea, and glaucoma to learn what attendees can expect. New this year, each of the programs will feature a government relations update.
Vance Thompson, MD, said that he expects this year’s Refractive Day to be “one of the most exciting.” The overarching theme of the program is boosting refractive image quality (IQ), focusing on the importance of IQ.
The program will feature a diverse group of speakers and topics with didactic and case-based learning, as well as expert panel discussions, Dr. Thompson said.
He said he’s excited for the program to focus on image quality because “it’s not just about hitting 20/20.”
Cathleen McCabe, MD, also spoke about the importance of image quality and how to look beyond Snellen visual acuity. The quality of vision can vary, even if the visual acuity measures 20/20, she said.
The program will feature the Steinert Lecture, given by Roberto Zaldivar, MD. He will speak about phakic IOL advancements and his involvement with the ICL, Dr. McCabe said, adding that this will be a great opportunity for the audience to learn about that journey and apply the lessons to their own practice. “[This program] is an opportunity for refractive surgeons to take their practice to the next level beyond the conventional thinking of Snellen visual acuity to maximizing visual quality across a variety of refractive modalities,” Dr. McCabe said.
Francis Mah, MD, said the Cornea Day program will seek to “hone in on what attendees have enjoyed about previous successful Cornea Days.” The program will have four sections focusing on management of keratoconus and corneal ectasia, anterior/posterior lamellar surgery, the ocular surface, and challenging corneal cases. One of the unique aspects is that it’s the ASCRS Cornea Clinical Committee directing, moderating, and formulating the entire program with the best educators and presenters from around the world participating, Dr. Mah said.
“We are putting together an excellent program that covers a spectrum of topics that will interest cornea specialists as well as the comprehensive doctors who treat a lot of office-based corneal disease,” said Marjan Farid, MD. “We are looking forward to a great day of education and comradery.”
Glaucoma Day will be “very strong from top to bottom,” according to Leon Herndon Jr., MD. The program will include two keynote lectures, as well as sessions on glaucoma technology, medications and lasers, and a combined ASCRS and American Glaucoma Society (AGS) session. The program will conclude with the Reay of Hope video complications session.
Many of the sessions have been on previous programs, but the information refreshes each year with the new and exciting topics in glaucoma, Dr. Herndon said. The program will also include audience interaction for the first time. As usual, attendees will get a variety of pearls to take back to their practices, Dr. Herndon said, adding that this is one of the aspects that drew him to the ASCRS Annual Meeting.
About the physicians
Marjan Farid, MD
Director of Cornea, Cataract, and Refractive Surgery
Gavin Herbert Eye Institute
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, California
Leon Herndon Jr., MD
Director of the Glaucoma Service
Duke Eye Center
Durham, North, Carolina
Francis Mah, MD
Director of the Cornea Service
Scripps Clinic
La Jolla, California
Cathleen McCabe, MD
The Eye Associates
Sarasota, Florida
Vance Thompson, MD
Vance Thompson Vision
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Contact
Farid: mfarid@hs.uci.edu
Herndon: leon.herndon@duke.edu
Mah: Mah.Francis@scrippshealth.org
McCabe: cmccabe13@hotmail.com
Thompson: vance.thompson@vancethompsonvision.com
