ASCRS News
April 2023
by Sumit “Sam” Garg, MD
Chief Medical Editor
The ASCRS Annual Meeting, this year in beautiful San Diego, California, is upon us. In my humble opinion, the ASCRS Annual Meeting is the best meeting for anterior segment surgeons. Our meeting brings together unsurpassed education, innovation, advocacy, partnership with industry, mentorship, friendship, and more—all in 4 days.
A relatively new addition to the meeting is Eyecelerator, which occurs on the Thursday before the Annual Meeting. This year’s Eyecelerator program is chaired by John Berdahl, MD, Julie Schallhorn, MD, and Gil Kliman, MD. Eyecelerator is a joint venture with ASCRS and the American Academy of Ophthalmology and provides a platform for entrepreneurs and startups to showcase their ideas and innovations in front of a panel of experts and potential investors. The program is well rounded and allows for doctors and industry to gather with a focus on advancement in ophthalmology.
Another highlight of the ASCRS Annual Meeting is Subspecialty Day, which occurs on Friday. Whether you attend Cornea Day, Refractive Day, Glaucoma Day, or the new Digital Day, you will be immersed in these respective areas with interactive programs including case studies, videos, and panel discussions.
Now in its second year, Party for a Purpose will be held on May 5 at NOVA SD. ASCRS, ASOA, industry attendees, as well as their guests, are welcome to attend for a night of fun, live music, dancing, and philanthropy with donations benefiting the ASCRS Foundation. This event is a must-attend!
This year marks a huge transition for the ASCRS Annual Meeting, as Edward Holland, MD, who has held the post of Program Chair for the meeting since 2012, has stepped down. Having some insight into what it takes to put the Annual Meeting together, I can honestly say that Program Chair is one of the toughest roles we have in our organization. Ed has led the evolution of our meeting, and his profound leadership and input will be missed. Thank you, Ed, for all of your dedication to making the Annual Meeting what it is today.
Just like the education you will receive at the Annual Meeting, this issue of EyeWorld covers topics that impact our daily lives as ophthalmologists. Our new section editors and Editorial Board members are working hard to deliver content that is useful and pertinent to daily practice. Cataract surgery is the center of our universe. With that context, we explore issues that can occur after cataract surgery, advanced-technology IOLs, insights on IOL formulas, and patient perceptions after second eye cataract surgery. Outside this universe are other smaller universes—refractive surgery, corneal disease, glaucoma, etc. We also cover breaking into refractive surgery, the role of preoperative IQ (image quality), corneal ulcer management, updates in amniotic membrane, and MIGS, among others.
Finally, I would like to congratulate Douglas Rhee, MD, on a great job as president of ASCRS for this last year. Doug has led our organization with professionalism, strategic vision, and integrity—all with a healthy sense of humor. Thank you, Doug! Also, I would like to welcome our incoming president, Elizabeth Yeu, MD. Liz is an amazing ophthalmologist and an even more amazing person. I am looking forward to serving under her leadership and am excited to see what she will (continue) to bring to our organization. I look forward to seeing you all in San Diego.
As always, if you have any suggestions for topics, improvements, etc., please feel free to reach out to me at gargs@uci.edu.
