ASCRS News
Spring 2024
Elizabeth Yeu, MD, having served as ASCRS president for the past year, reflected on her tenure and the future of the Society.
ASCRS has established itself as the go-to resource for all anterior segment surgeons, Dr. Yeu said. This expands beyond just cataract and refractive surgery. “We joke about how our acronym could expand to cover cornea and glaucoma because of the content that we represent and serve, both in Subspecialty Day as well as broadly within our Annual Meeting and throughout other resources,” she said. The Society really covers all the education anterior segment surgeons need across many different subspecialties.
ASCRS provides many opportunities for education, she said. This includes resources during the Annual Meeting like the many sessions, papers, posters, skills labs, and other networking opportunities, but it also provides education year-round, she said. Virtual offerings from the society have truly exploded in the last 5 years, she said.
Dr. Yeu also said that ASCRS goes even beyond the education component to provide opportunities for advocacy and philanthropy. Members have many different ways to get involved in the area that most interests them, she said. ASCRS is providing these opportunities and also taking care and doing what it can on behalf of ophthalmology and anterior segment surgeons.
“I am proud that ASCRS members have been queried to see the dynamic approach to the education that we provide. One of my foremost pivotal goals was that ASCRS members can palpably feel that ASCRS meets their individual needs, where they are in their professional lives, to help promote that fresh education,” Dr. Yeu said. “Not everyone wants to, nor can they, attend an annual meeting on the west coast. I love that the 2024 ASCRS Live! regional dinner programs around the country in 9 different cities will bring relevant education in refractive cataract surgery, OSD, refractive surgery, and MIGS to the doctors.”
Additionally, Dr. Yeu called out the work of the ASCRS Government Relations Committee. “While I cannot take credit for the amazing work of the Government Relations Committee, I want to highlight and give due credit to Parag Parekh and Mark Cribben for their grit on behalf of ASCRS, and really all anterior segment surgeons. It really is a “David and Goliath” analogy happening in perpetuity,” she said. “Working first on the payor side to prevent the goniotomy procedure from being considered “investigational,” and then tirelessly working with Capitol Hill to fight on behalf of patients for the health equity benefits of providing goniotomy procedures, was just one small but visible example of the inspiring highlights of my presidency year.”
With ASCRS celebrating its 50th anniversary, Dr. Yeu looked ahead, saying it’s likely some changes will occur in the next generation or two in how cataract surgery is implemented globally. There could be real possibility to automate, streamline, and become more efficient, she said, which could be controversial. New changes will likely include using more data and integration of this information. ASCRS recently created the Digital Committee, she said, because we recognize that this is our future.
These changes may come with some level of controversy, Dr. Yeu said, but she believes there are further levels to explore in the field of ophthalmology. “I just want to see us embrace that and combine different technologies. The sky’s the limit,” she said.
“One of my favorite parts of this year, personally, has been getting to work more closely with Vance Thompson, who is the incoming president,” Dr. Yeu said. “The camaraderie, alignment, ideation, and dedication to ASCRS have led to unforgettable memories that I will cherish. What ASCRS has in Vance is the definition of true servant leadership.”
About the physician
Elizabeth Yeu, MD
Virginia Eye Consultants
Norfolk, Virginia
Contact
Yeu: eyeulin@gmail.com
