ASCRS News
Fall 2024
by Mitchell Weikert, MD
Cataract Editor
The Fall issue of EyeWorld arrives as we head into the home stretch of 2024, as well as the home stretch of the ASCRS Live! program series (ascrs.org/meetings/ascrs-live-dinner-series/live-events). Coming to a city near you, ASCRS Live! offers the opportunity to discuss the latest innovations in and challenges facing the practice of refractive cataract surgery. Other topics, such as glaucoma, ocular surface disease, and refractive surgery, are also covered in rotating, rapid-fire sessions. These intimate dinner meetings give attendees the chance to network with an ASCRS expert panel and their local colleagues. So far, the meetings have traveled to Phoenix, New York City, Houston, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, and Cleveland, with Atlanta, San Diego, Charlotte, and Denver yet to come. Audience participation has been excellent with spirited discussions highlighted by the exchange of valuable practice pearls. We encourage you to seek one out if it’s within your reach. However, if you’re not able to attend one, don’t worry—a roundtable recording that covers highlights of the program will be available on the ASCRS website.
Coming to a city near you, ASCRS Live! offers the opportunity to discuss the latest innovations in and challenges facing the practice of refractive cataract surgery.
The overarching theme of this issue of EyeWorld is “Knocking down clinical and surgical challenges.” Presbyopia management and IOL selection in patients with irregular corneas are common obstacles we encounter in our cataract patients. Robert Ang, MD, and Nicole Fram, MD, discussed the IC-8 Apthera small aperture IOL (Bausch + Lomb), a relatively new option to “kill two birds with one stone.” In addition to describing the patients who are best suited for on-label, EDOF use of this IOL, they delved into other types of patients who may benefit from the unique technology, such as those with irregular corneas. They also made sure to cover the important considerations for laser posterior capsulotomy and other factors that should be included in the patient evaluation and consenting processes.
Steve Charles, MD, Christina Weng, MD, MBA, and Dagny Zhu, MD, took a look at postoperative floater management. They began by advising us not to underestimate the impact of floaters on patients’ vision and satisfaction, especially in the presence of presbyopia-correcting IOLs. They also provided a summary of the myriad, often confusing, ways patients may describe visual difficulties due to floaters, as well as examination tips for confirming the diagnosis. Finally, observation vs. YAG vitreolysis vs. vitrectomy are compared in a mini debate to round out the discussion.
The Cataract section closes by addressing a common situation known for its many clinical and surgical obstacles—cataract surgery in patients with keratoconus. Neel Pasricha, MD, and Nandini Venkateswaran, MD, walked us through the pre-, intra-, and postoperative challenges that we face in these patients. They provided insight into optimizing our IOL selection and formula choice, including the factors that play into these critical decisions. To help keep us out of trouble, their comprehensive overview also covers useful surgical pearls, recommendations for contact lens management, and their thoughts on the role of crosslinking as it applies to this particular subset of patients.
We hope you enjoy this issue of EyeWorld and take away a few pearls to knock down these common obstacles we see in our cataract surgery patients.
