ASCRS News
July 2023
by Ellen Stodola
Editorial Co-Director
The ASCRS Summer Meeting is back again this year for “A Taste of ASCRS” in Nashville, Tennessee, from August 11–13. Experienced surgeons and those new to practice can all benefit from the program and skills transfer lab offerings. Program chairs for the meeting are Daniel Chang, MD, Sumitra Khandelwal, MD, Douglas Koch, MD, and Zaina Al-Mohtaseb, MD, YES Clinical Committee Chair.
“This meeting is packed with pearls for anterior segment surgeons,” Dr. Khandelwal said. “We are excited to broaden skills transfer sessions for trainees and surgeons in practice. We are also excited to expand on small group breakout sessions on topics exciting to our audience like complex cataract, premiums lens surgery, and ocular surface disease.”
“We’ve incorporated the feedback from last year to improve the program, so trainees and surgeons will hopefully find the meeting to be even more interesting, applicable, and inspiring,” Dr. Chang said.
“Attendees have given us so much positive feedback about how helpful this meeting is, about how many questions and dilemmas we address for them.”
Douglas Koch, MD
“We have an amazing faculty, and they are available to answer questions, discuss cases, etc., on a one-on-one basis. Small meetings are so special in this regard,” Dr. Koch said.
Dr. Khandelwal agreed that the smaller group format offers the opportunity to engage with speakers and ask questions, while still providing exciting content. “We’ve created even more opportunities for attendees to have direct interaction with faculty. We want to teach, share, and learn together,” Dr. Chang said.
“The ASCRS Summer Meeting is a great learning and networking opportunity for residents, fellows, and young surgeons transitioning into practice,” Dr. Al-Mohtaseb said. “It offers valuable education during the main program sessions, and it also provides the opportunity for one-on-one interactions with many experts and industry professionals throughout the meeting. Skills lab training sessions also offer the opportunity for hands-on learning to practice techniques or learn new skills. The meeting is the perfect way to get a taste of ASCRS and is not to be missed.”
Dr. Koch is excited for many topics to be covered at the meeting. He’s particularly looking forward to hearing about strategies for selection and management of presbyopia-correcting IOLs. “I’m also excited by the new femtosecond lasers for flap creation and lenticle extraction, as I think that we are the verge of a major shift in this area,” he said. “The treatment of ocular surface disease continues to evolve, so I’m interested in new insights in this area.” He added that there are always plenty of amazing videos and interesting cases shared.
“We’ve also incorporated cross-disciplinary content to improve management skills in cases with multiple concurrent issues spanning cataracts, ocular surface, glaucoma, and even retina,” Dr. Chang said.
Dr. Khandelwal is excited to return this year, noting that attendees commented last year about how much knowledge they gained while onsite.
“Attendees have given us so much positive feedback about how helpful this meeting is, about how many questions and dilemmas we address for them,” Dr. Koch said.
About the physicians
Zaina Al-Mohtaseb MD
Director of Research
Whitsett Vision Group
Clinical Associate Professor
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas
Daniel Chang, MD
Cataract and Refractive Surgeon
Empire Eye and Laser Center
Bakersfield, California
Sumitra Khandelwal, MD
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
Cullen Eye Institute
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas
Douglas Koch, MD
Department of Ophthalmology
Cullen Eye Institute
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas
Contact
Al-Mohtaseb: zaina1225@gmail.com
Chang: dchang@empireeyeandlaser.com
Khandelwal: Sumitra.Khandelwal@bcm.edu
Koch: dkoch@bcm.edu
