Eyeworld Daily News

MAY 4, 2019 | EYEWORLD DAILY NEWS | 3 continued from page 1 is past president of ASCRS, and is the chief medical editor of Eye- World magazine. Introducing Dr. Donnenfeld, Edward Holland, MD, Cincinnati, said, if you look at the body of Dr. Donnenfeld's work, he has extensively published in cornea, cataract surgery, refrac- tive surgery, inflammation, and infectious disease. "How many people in oph- thalmology have affected five different categories," Dr. Holland said. "I can think of none more deserving of this award," he said earlier. Dr. Donnenfeld said deliver- ing the Steinert Refractive Lecture was one of the great events of his life. His lecture focused on the "Myths, Misconceptions, and Reality" of LASIK. Myth #1: Physicians would not have LASIK on their own eyes. Literature presented by Dr. Don- nenfeld shows that physicians have the highest prevalence of having LASIK compared to other occupations. Refractive surgeons, in particular, one study showed, were four times more likely to have laser vision correction than the general population. Myth #2: The long-term effects of LASIK are not known. In actuality, there is more than 20 years of data for LASIK, Dr. Donnenfeld said. Long-term studies have shown both refractive stability and safety of the proce- dure. Myth #3: Contact lenses are safer than LASIK. Published research presented by Dr. Donnenfeld reports that daily contact lens wear for 30 years is less safe than LASIK, and ex- tended wear contact lenses have a lesser safety profile. A study of 1,800 patients comparing LASIK to contact lenses showed better patient satisfaction, better night driving, and less infection in those who had LASIK. Myth #4: LASIK increases the risk of glare and halo compared to glasses. While LASIK can induce such vi- sual abnormalities in a minority of patients, Dr. Donnenfeld showed data that found modern LASIK can actually cure such problems. Myth #5: The safety and efficacy of LASIK has not improved over time. Quite the contrary, Dr. Donnen- feld said. One paper he highlight- ed on this front showed a 10-year history of continuous improve- ment of the procedure. This im- provement, Dr. Donnenfeld said, will only continue as technology advances. LASIK, Dr. Donnenfeld said, is the safest procedure with the greatest patient satisfaction of any elective surgery performed worldwide. Myth #6: Dry eye is extremely common after LASIK. Research has shown that dry eye is common after LASIK in the first 3 months postop, but it largely resolves after 6 months. In 2008, 140 complaints were brought to the FDA about LASIK and a public hearing was held. Dr. Donnenfeld attended and testified on LASIK's behalf at this hearing but, he said, he mostly listened. Patients with adverse results after LASIK expressed feeling like they were not listened to by their sur- geon, like they were abandoned. At that time, Dr. Donnenfeld said he promised himself—and he challenges others—to embrace unhappy patients who come to him (whether he performed the surgery or not), making them feel like they have someone who will pay attention and listen to their problems. Dr. Donnenfeld said his ultimate message is that we need to embrace patients who are dissatisfied following LASIK and never let them feel abandoned. All surgeries will have some complications, Dr. Donnenfeld said, but the relationship between ophthalmologists and industry have addressed many of them. "Every time we as a group identified a problem, we sought a solution. Problems we identified have been resolved significantly with better technology," Dr. Don- nenfeld said. Centration of treatments has been improved with the advent of pupil tracking and centroid shift and cyclotorsion compensation; mitomycin-C has reduced inci- dence of haze; and there are fewer flap complications with better microkeratomes and use of femto- second lasers. Glare and halo have been reduced with blended zones, customized ablations, and opti- mized ablations. Ectasia has been "markedly resolved" with better diagnostic equipment leading to better patient selection. If ectasia does occur, Dr. Donnenfeld said we have a "cure" with corneal collagen crosslinking. Advanced wavefront ablations, which provide more resolution, are bringing 93.4% of patients to 20/20 UCVA, Dr. Donnenfeld said. Similarly, topographic laser ablations are bringing 92.7% of patients to 20/20 UCVA, in addi- tion to offering the ability to treat irregular corneas. SMILE, Dr. Donnenfeld continued, expands options to customize laser vision correction to the right patient. "The golden age of laser vision correction is today, and to- morrow looks even brighter," Dr. Donnenfeld said, before adding that while "we should be proud of what we have accomplished, we should never be satisfied." Editors' note: Dr. Donnenfeld has fi- nancial interests with various ophthalmic companies. ASCRS FACEBOOK EyeWorldMagazine TWITTER EyeWorldMag INSTAGRAM eyeworldmagazine ASCRS Executive Director Steve Speares Editorial Editorial Director Amy Goldenberg Senior Staff Writer/ Meetings Editor Ellen Stodola Senior Staff Writer Liz Hillman Contributing Writers Stefanie Petrou Binder, MD Vanessa Caceres Rich Daly Lauren Lipuma Production Managing Editor Stacy Jablonski Graphic Designer Julio Guerrero Graphic Designer Susan Steury Production Manager Cathy Stern Editorial Production Assistant/Social Media Coordinator Taylor Wise Sales, Sponsorships, and Special Events Jessica Donohoe Shelly Dixon Molly Phillips Joe Dooley Cathy Stern Anne Le

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