Eyeworld Daily News

APRIL 6, 2024 | EYEWORLD DAILY NEWS | 3 ASCRS ANNUAL MEETING DAILY NEWS business, when the meeting was be- ing held at the Century Plaza Hotel. Mr. Karcher said he got a call about how the Society was undergoing a reorganization and was looking for someone to run the Annual Meeting. Discussing the name change from AIOIS to ASCRS, Dr. Lindstrom said that it was the right thing to do. "Refractive surgery was exploding," he said. "And we were the forum where people could share honest ideas about that." ASCRS relocated to the Wash- ington, D.C., area, and both Dr. Samuelson and Dr. Yeu highlighted the important advocacy efforts of ASCRS through the years. Commenting on her time as the first female president of ASCRS, Dr. McDonald said, "I felt like any other president. You have one year to be the steward of this amazing organi- zation." You want to grow it, offer better things to the members, and your goal in your 1-year term is to leave the Society better than when you first took the reins, she said. responsibility to stay abreast of the latest advancements and techniques to provide the highest quality of care for our patients." Operation Sight Volunteer of the Year Susan MacDonald, MD, presented the ASCRS Foundation Operation Sight Volunteer of the Year Award to Andrew Kao, MD. His commitment to restoring vision for those in need underscores his dedication to serving his community and its most vulnera- ble members, Dr. MacDonald said. Dr. Kao was honored to accept the award and said that the most meaningful thing about receiving the award is the awareness it brings to vulnerable patients that Operation Sight serves. Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award David F. Chang, MD, presented the ASCRS Foundation Chang-Cran- dall Humanitarian Award to Martin Spencer, MD. Dr. Chang interviewed Dr. Spencer about his humanitarian work. Dr. Spencer noted when he first traveled to Nepal for 7 weeks he was struck by the enormous need of patients with bilateral mature cata- racts, as well as the need for teaching there. After nearly 4 decades of teaching, Dr. Spencer said that he's proud of many of the instruments and techniques he's developed, but he's most proud of the satisfaction that comes from teaching. Hall of Fame Edward Holland, MD, led the intro- duction of the ASCRS Ophthalmology Hall of Fame. This year's inductee was Peter Choyce, BSc, MBBS, MS, FRCS, FRCOphth, a key innovator in the journey of IOLs and collaborator of Sir Harold Ridley, MD. Accepting the award on behalf of Dr. Choyce was Richard Packard, MD, FRCS, FRCOphth. Dr. Packard said he knew Dr. Choyce for more than 20 years, since early in Dr. Packard's career. "Peter was one of those people who, having made up his mind to choose a particular path, was determined to succeed," he said. "And he wanted to make sure anterior chamber lenses were going to be safe and efficacious for patients." The history of ASCRS The session then switched gears to highlight the 50th anniversary of ASCRS. Dr. Samuelson took the stage with Steve Speares, ASCRS Executive Director, Mr. Karcher, Marguerite McDonald, MD, Richard Lindstrom, MD, Dr. Hoffer, and Dr. Yeu. Dr. Hoffer described forming AIOIS in 1974, including recruit- ing people to join and establishing credibility. Early on, he began putting together a newsletter, which would later become the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. Mr. Karcher discussed how he first got involved with ASCRS, hav- ing previously worked in the hotel continued from page 1 Saturday on the Main Stage: Don't miss two exciting sessions on the ASCRS Main Stage in Hall C. From 10:00–11:30 a.m., hear the ASCRS Cornelius D. Binkhorst, MD, Lecture given by Mitchell Weikert, MD, hear from guest speaker Annie Duke, and listen to a panel, featuring Malvina Eydelman, MD, from the FDA, and ASCRS past presidents Elizabeth Yeu, MD, Bonnie Hen- derson, MD, Priscilla Arnold, MD, and Marguerite McDonald, MD, in The X-Factor: Women Leading by Example. From 1:30–3:00 p.m., be sure to attend X-Rounds: Re- fractive Cataract Surgery to the Max session, where surgeons will discuss new and future advances in cataract surgery, improving outcomes, refractive IOLs, and case management. ASOA Saturday General Session: The ASOA Annual Meeting will also kick off on Sat- urday with its General Session, featuring best-selling author and two-time TEDx speaker Anne Grady. Today's highlights

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