EyeWorld reached out to ASCRS members and members of the EyeWorld Editorial Board to ask how the pandemic has changed practices a year after the historic shutdown of elective medical procedures.
The COVID-19 pandemic hit home for our ophthalmology practices in March 2020, closing our offices and surgicenters for all but emergency patients for 10 weeks. This was the reality for many of us. There was an atmosphere of generalized concern bordering on panic in many locations due to a fear of the unknown.
The past year has been a time of unprecedented challenge for the ASCRS Foundation and the thousands of patients in need it serves. We’ve struggled, adapted, and found new ways to move forward. I am incredibly proud of our resilient team and the hundreds of volunteers who’ve continued to deliver on our mission.
Cataract surgery is one of the most common surgeries performed annually and is only expected to increase in coming decades due to an aging population. Despite advances in surgical technique, which have significantly improved efficiency, patient safety, and predictability of cataract surgery refractive outcomes, postoperative visual disturbances such as dysphotopsias continue to be a significant contributor to patient dissatisfaction, even in routine cases performed by experienced surgeons.
Alan S. Crandall, MD, passed away on Oct. 2, 2020, due to a sudden illness. Dr. Crandall, 73, served as ASCRS President from 2009–2010, and was an inaugural member of the ASCRS Glaucoma Clinical Committee formed in 1997.
For ASCRS members, and our ASCRS staff, 2020 has seen the ultimate examination of our resilience. It would be a tiresome and labored exercise to go through the process of recapping a year that we are all eager to put in the rearview mirror. “Unprecedented.” “Difficult times.” “We’re in this together.” Each word and phrase has become so ubiquitous they now trigger our brains to tune out whatever follows.
This year, 15 ASCRS and ASOA members joined more than 100 specialty physicians from around the country, representing the 14 members of the Alliance of Specialty Medicine, in a Virtual Legislative Fly-in, which was held on November 19. Key senators and representatives focused on the healthcare priority issues for the Alliance, followed by a Q&A session.
Elizabeth Yeu, MD, ASCRS Secretary, Richard Lindstrom, MD, ASCRS Member at Large, Douglas Rhee, MD, ASCRS Treasurer, Sumit “Sam” Garg, MD, Chair of ASCRS Young Eye Surgeons Committee, and Edward Holland, MD, ASCRS Program Chair, share thoughts on this unprecedented year.
Summaries of recent articles from the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery
When asked to write a reflection of the past year, I took a deep breath and sat down for a bit. So many emotions ran through me when I thought about this past year. It truly has been a roller coaster ride and a lesson in rapid adaptation.