ASCRS News
September 2022

by Sumit “Sam” Garg, MD 
Chief Medical Editor

My late mentor, Roger Steinert, MD, gave me my first meaningful opportunity to get involved with ASCRS. As one of his fellows, I was thrilled to present the results of our outcomes of femtosecond laser keratoplasty. I remember spending countless hours reviewing our data, preparing slides, and practicing for my presentation. Little did I know that my first presentation would lead to a career of service to ASCRS. I have had the opportunity and pleasure to serve on two Clinical Committees, chair the Young Eye Surgeons (YES) Clinical Committee, organize and participate in numerous wet labs and symposia, serve on various ad hoc committees, serve on the Governing Board and Annual Meeting Program Committee, review applications for the ASCRS Foundation Resident Excellence Awards, and co-chair the ASCRS Winter and Summer Meetings. As important as these activities have been to me, even more important have been the lifelong friends I have made along the way. It is now my great honor to humbly take on the role of chief medical editor of EyeWorld.

To me, ASCRS was built on the backs of giants like Dr. Steinert, many before him, his contemporaries, and many who came after him. I won’t even try to individually name the many for whom we all must thank for their contributions to ASCRS. As ASCRS evolves, it represents its membership. EyeWorld, as the ASCRS member publication, is committed to doing the same. ASCRS and EyeWorld are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. As we grow and evolve, the readership will see some changes to EyeWorld. We will be introducing new voices as our section editors. I want to say a huge thank you to the current section editors, Rosa Braga-Mele, MD, Clara Chan, MD, Vance Thompson, MD, and Nathan Radcliffe, MD, for their years of dedication and work. We will be expanding our editorial boards and looking to ensure that EyeWorld will continue to be a publication for all ASCRS members by providing valuable and timely content. A special thank you to Eric Donnenfeld, MD, who has led this publication for the past 7 years. Eric, you are a mentor, friend, and colleague, and I appreciate all that you have done for me and will certainly be calling on you for advice with respect to this endeavor. As he mentioned in his final editorial, EyeWorld would not be possible without the support and efforts of the staff, in particular, Stacy Jablonski, Ellen Stodola, and Liz Hillman; thank you in advance. I know I have big shoes to fill—literally and figuratively!  

To me, ASCRS represents the best of what a professional society has to offer—education, research, advocacy, partnership with industry, philanthropy, and collegiality. I know EyeWorld will continue to capture the “voice of the people,” allow for partnerships with industry, other ophthalmic organizations, residency and fellowship programs, philanthropic initiatives, and most importantly, highlight and educate on issues that continue to impact our practice as ophthalmologists.

In this issue, we are going back to basics. As progressive as ophthalmology is as a field, it is important to understand the basics and learn from those who have come before us. Over the past many ASCRS Annual Meetings, there has been a focus on incorporating a review of the fundamentals. Basics are the fundamentals that allow for innovation. Some of the topics that are covered in this issue include addressing astigmatism at the time of cataract surgery, interpreting OCT of the macula for cataract surgery, phaco fluidics, the impact of corneal aberrations on refractive surgery, fungal keratitis, ocular surface disease, corneal imaging, and how IOP elevation may be related to intravitreal injections.

In closing, it is a great honor to be your new EyeWorld chief medical editor. I am committed to upholding the standard of excellence that precedes me, and I look forward to serving our membership in this role. If you have any suggestions for topics, improvements, etc., please feel free to reach out to me at gargs@uci.edu.