ASCRS News
April 2023
by Liz Hillman and Ellen Stodola
Editorial Co-Directors
ASCRS Subspecialty Day will feature full-day programming in the areas of cornea, glaucoma, and refractive surgery. New this year, registrants of Subspecialty Day will also be able to attend the inaugural Digital Day, taking place in conjunction with ASCRS Subspecialty Day and sponsored by the Digital Ophthalmic Society. All Subspecialty Day programming will be on May 5, from 8:00 a.m.–3:45 p.m.
Cornea Day
This year’s Cornea Day program chairs are Marjan Farid, MD, and Francis Mah, MD. Sections throughout the day’s program will focus on surgical cornea, office-based corneal disease management, complex surgical cornea case videos, and the ocular surface.
“We are looking forward to a well-rounded Cornea Day program, which will offer both in-depth corneal content for the cornea specialist as well as practical solutions for in-office management of corneal disorders geared
toward comprehensive and cornea doctors,” Dr. Farid said. “We will start off the day with a deep dive into surgical cornea including updates on endothelial keratoplasty and endothelial cell injection technology. This will be followed by management of office-based corneal diseases. Following the lunch break, we will have an exciting new section with video case reviews of complex corneal surgeries. We will round out the day with a deep dive into all things ocular surface, including detection and management of surface neoplasias, limbal stem cell deficiency, and updates in dry eye disease.”
Refractive Day
Cathleen McCabe, MD, and Daniel Chang, MD, chair this year’s Refractive Day, which will focus on emotional intelligence and refractive surgery.
“Refractive Day this year is designed to be less didactic and more interactive, a structure that is in perfect harmony with this year’s theme of ‘Improving Your EQ to Boost Your Patients’ IQ,’” Dr. McCabe said. “Last year we focused on image quality (IQ), all the ways we have of measuring IQ pre- and postop, and the surgical and clinical tools we have to improve image quality postop. This year, we make the connection between EQ (emotional intelligence) and improved outcomes. How we communicate with patients is critical to understanding their needs and wants. This year we will focus on improving communication skills when educating patients preoperatively, when setting expectations, and when managing postoperative outcomes.”
Refractive Day will be broken into four sections. The first will focus on EQ at the preop stage; the second section will discuss corneal refractive surgery, incorporating different refractive modalities into practice, and how to handle refractive surgeries that don’t go as planned postop; the third will highlight new technologies in the field; and the fourth will return to EQ in postop scenarios. It will conclude with the Steinert Lecture from Vance Thompson, MD.
Glaucoma Day
ASCRS Glaucoma Day, led by Leon Herndon Jr., MD, and Nathan Radcliffe, MD, aims to expand attendees’ knowledge of glaucoma treatment options with “practical pearls” intended to help improve patient outcomes.
“Attendees will be able to take practical pearls they learn at Glaucoma Day right back to their offices to have a positive impact on patient outcomes,” Dr. Herndon said. “We have an all-star cast of presenters, and I am looking forward to each of the sessions.”
The day will be broken into sections covering visual field interpretation, medications and lasers, surgical options, and MIGS reimbursement. Glaucoma Day will also feature the ASCRS/AGS Joint Symposium, the 13th Annual Video Session: Complications and a Reay of Hope, and the Stephen A. Obstbaum, MD,
Honored Lecture, by Ike Ahmed, MD.
Digital Day
Digital Day will be centered around novel, technology-driven solutions with functional clinical integration. The Digital Day program will cover the essentials to provide surgeons with advanced topic lectures, protocol development, and practice education. This program is non-CME.
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
Professor of Ophthalmology
Duke University School of Medicine
Durham, North Carolina
Cathleen McCabe, MD
Medical Director
The Eye Associates
Bradenton, Florida
Contact
Farid: mfarid@hs.uci.edu
Herndon: leon.herndon@duke.edu
McCabe: cmccabe13@hotmail.com
