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JULY 23, 2021 | EYEWORLD DAILY NEWS | 3 ASCRS ANNUAL MEETING DAILY NEWS Dr. Hoffman: The biggest chal- lenge is cuts in government reimbursement, which devalue our training and skills. Increased paperwork (and now electronic data work) is a burden and inef- ficient. I fear the art of medicine will suffer from onerous regula- tions and oversights. My hope is that the pendulum might swing back to a place where physicians are trusted to do what is in the best interest of their patients without unnecessary oversight and regulations. EyeWorld: What do you see as the future of ASCRS for ophthal- mologists? Dr. Hoffman: Ophthalmology is a wonderful specialty, and I am thankful every day for the oppor- tunity to practice in a field that delivers so much in the way of quality-of-life improvements for our patients. I think the future of ophthalmology and ASCRS is bright. ASCRS will continue to be an organization where members access and share valuable skills in order to help us deliver the best care for our patients. ASCRS will maintain its frontline position of helping develop and promote new technology and innovative techniques. The organization will continue to grow in the future and be a beacon for ophthal- mic education, advocacy, and a resource for both national and international ophthalmologists. eventually became ASCRS pres- ident. I started teaching courses and presenting papers at the ASCRS Annual Meeting. The abili- ty for the average ophthalmologist to present research or new tech- niques at the Annual Meeting is one of the features of ASCRS that I found most attractive and enticing. EyeWorld: What do you see as some of the most important recent initiatives from ASCRS? Dr. Hoffman: Many of the re- cent initiatives within ASCRS helped maintain contact with our members during the pan- demic, providing continuing education. The "20/Happy in 2020" program organized by David Chang, MD, was highly successful. Other programs were created and released within the last year as well: ASCRS Grand Rounds, ASCRS Journal Club, and the Ophthalmology Quicksand Chronicles podcast. These initia- tives reinforced the possibility of continuing to provide education through virtual teaching but also revealed the limitations of virtual learning and the continued need for in-person meetings. EyeWorld: What will you focus on during your time as ASCRS president? Dr. Hoffman: My first focus as president will be to bolster atten- dance at the Annual Meeting. This last year has firmly demonstrat- ed to me the need for in-person meetings where we can interact face to face with colleagues and industry. The lifeblood of ASCRS is its Annual Meeting. It is where new ideas and techniques are shared, new friendships creat- ed and old ones reinforced, and where practice equipment can be evaluated and compared. The virtual meeting in 2020 was a success, but there is no substitute for an in-person meeting. My first mission is to get us back to "nor- mal" with a vibrant, well-attended Annual Meeting. EyeWorld: How were ASCRS members affected by the pan- demic and how did they evolve in response to it? Dr. Hoffman: Besides the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic placed the potential for life-end- ing illness square in our faces, the issues for most members were numerous. In our practice, schedules were reduced to main- tain social distancing and allow for cleaning of each room and its equipment. Seating in waiting areas was blocked to accommo- date the 6-foot guidance. Each patient was questioned at check- in to ensure that they were not exposed to the virus. We split our practice staff into two teams and worked separately in two offices so that if someone in one team became sick, quarantining of that pod would not completely shut down the practice. Telemedicine was employed for patients who were unable or unwilling to come in for a face-to-face appointment. Masks, frequent hand washing, and slit lamp shields became the new normal. EyeWorld: What do you see as some of the biggest challenges facing ophthalmology? continued from page 1

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