Refractive
July 2021
by Vance Thompson, MD
Refractive Editor
I hope you are feeling the excitement building for the in-person 2021 ASCRS Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada. Having dedicated my career to keeping up with advances in refractive and cataract surgery and wanting to understand the latest and greatest technologies and techniques to offer to my patients, this meeting has become a must for me to learn from colleagues around the world. This ASCRS Annual Meeting has particular significance to a lot of us since it will be in person, a dynamic we have yearned for. We’ve learned how important this is for our personal and professional joy and well-being.
“Whether you are looking to optimize your business, refine your techniques and technology offerings, grow your patient and staff education, get a peek into the future, or interact with your colleagues, there is nothing like what is waiting for you at the ASCRS Annual Meeting to energize your practice and professional life.”
I think this issue of EyeWorld is both a wonderful invitation to our extended family in ophthalmology and a representation of important topics that will be represented at the Annual Meeting.
Thanks to companies and researchers, the choices in implant technology have never been better. The article featuring William Lahners, MD, and Deepak Sobti, MD, is perfectly timed, as premium monofocal and new extended depth of focus (EDOF) implants receive FDA approval. When we think about the spectrum from monofocality to premium monofocality and on to EDOF and trifocality, we see an opportunity to take our patients to 20/20 distance with a gradual increase in add power. This range of technology speaks volumes to our ability to address functions or lens lost, reading range, and clarity. I have talked to colleagues who have said the growth in modern day EDOF and trifocality has greatly increased their whole cataract practice because of patients’ desire to know their complete set of options. The programs ASCRS has in place for the Annual Meeting to help us with patient selection and technology to match their goals is cutting edge.
Thank you to Kathryn Hatch, MD, Allison Jarstad, DO, and William Trattler, MD, for their discussion on when it is best for us to offer corneal, phakic IOL, or lens replacement surgery for patients desiring less dependence on optical devices. They summarize it brilliantly and introduce the reason the ASCRS Annual Meeting topics are designed with great purpose to represent the current state of offerings in the world of comprehensive refractive surgery.
I also want to thank John Doane, MD, D. Rex Hamilton, MD, and Dan Reinstein, MD, for their insights on why SMILE is the most common corneal refractive surgery procedure in their practices that also include PRK and LASIK. This is a trend the world has been seeing, and patient selection for each procedure is discussed and serves as a preview of the deep dives that are occurring on this topic at the ASCRS Annual Meeting.
Whether you are looking to optimize your business, refine your techniques and technology offerings, grow your patient and staff education, get a peek into the future, or interact with your colleagues, there is nothing like what is waiting for you at the ASCRS Annual Meeting to energize your practice and professional life. I hope you enjoy this issue of EyeWorld as much as I have, and I look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas.
