ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

ASCRS News
April 2023

by Liz Hillman
Editorial Co-Director

Digital Day, sponsored by the Digital Ophthalmic Society (DOS) and taking place in conjunction with ASCRS Subspecialty Day today, is a full-day, non-CME program centered around novel, technology-driven solutions with functional integration that are going to push ophthalmology forward.

With Program Chairs Eric Rosenberg, DO, and John Kitchens, MD, and the Program Planning Committee, Grayson Armstrong, MD, MPH, Matthew Brink, MD, Oliver Findl, MD, PhD, Ranya Habash, MD, Theodore Leng, MD, and Inder Paul Singh, MD, the program will address advancements in ophthalmic surgery, including artificial intelligence, telemedicine, precision medicine and the metaverse, digital visualization, surgical guidance, and other digital health solutions. There will be morning and afternoon industry spotlight sessions featuring DOS founding and supporting sponsors in a Q&A format. Finally, the program will feature keynote speaker David Rhew, MD, Microsoft Global Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Healthcare, Commercial.

Dr. Rosenberg said the idea behind Digital Day is to facilitate a cross-collaborative environment for the sharing of ideas, research, and innovation taking place in this space.

“There needs to be one room, one discussion, and a unified voice that pertains to the boundless advancements taking place in these cross-disciplinary fields, independent of subspecialty,” Dr. Rosenberg said. “We think ASCRS and the Annual Meeting are the ideal home to grow this movement, especially given the history and progressive nature of ASCRS and what it has done for our field.”

Dr. Rosenberg said he hopes that Digital Day shows attendees that “we’ve made the metaphorical leap from typewriter to computer, and it is time to embrace and develop synchronously.”

“I want attendees to realize that the personal computer is here, and it’s going to change ophthalmology. … It’s a larger, broader, and more intelligent system that is going to revolutionize how and where we treat patients. Its boundaries are endless, and we can leverage what the offerings are to design and build it as we see fit,” he said. “I want attendees to get an appreciation for what it is that we’re talking about: what interoperability and interconnectivity mean, what it’s going to mean for their patients, and how we can build a better future for ophthalmology as we build in parallel with these technologies themselves.

“There is a lot of validity and applicability when it comes to Digital Day. I want attendees to appreciate the bigger picture. They don’t have to stay for all the lectures—feel free to come for one or two,” Dr. Rosenberg said.

“The future of ophthalmology is digital technology that will revolutionize every aspect of our specialty,” said Eric Donnenfeld, MD, DOS member. “Glimpse the future of ophthalmology during the inaugural Digital Day. Everything you think you know is about to change.”

Registrants for ASCRS Subspecialty Day will have access to the Digital Day programming.