Eyeworld Daily News

EW SHOW DAILY 10 Saturday, April 26, 2014 ASCRS News Today A year to remember A t today's ASCRS Opening General Session, Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, New York, will become the ASCRS outgoing presi- dent, passing the reins to Richard Lewis, MD, Sacramento, Calif. Dr. Donnenfeld is a founding partner of Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island and Connecticut, national medical director of TLC Laser Eye Centers, and surgical director of the Lions Eye Bank of Long Island. He is a trustee of Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, N.H. During his nearly 30-year career, Dr. Donnenfeld has specialized in refractive cornea and cataract surgery as well as corneal transplantation. EyeWorld: What are some of the biggest achievements that ASCRS has made during your year as president? Dr. Donnenfeld: First, I'd like to say this has been an extraordinarily exciting year for me and a year that I'll cherish and remember forever— not for my individual accomplish- ments but the accomplishments that ASCRS as an organization has made. We have a wonderful executive board, governing body, and staff, all working together with the common goal of improving the quality of ophthalmology. That said, ASCRS had many notable events this past year. One achievement of note is our ReACT Program, which was held in New York on March 1, 2014. ReACT stands for Resident Advanced Cataract Training Program. There's a tremendous unmet need in many residency programs for residents and fellows to be trained in advanced cataract surgery techniques. While residencies are extraordinarily dedicated to training the ophthal- mologists of the future, the technol- ogy has advanced so quickly in so many areas, not all programs have access to the newest innovations. This program was held in New York City with assistance from New York University and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. It attracted 30 different residency programs from around the country with 120 second- and third-year residents and fellows. That means one out of three senior residents in the United States attended this meeting. We had some very talented local ophthalmologists participating, led by Jack Dodick, MD, who was the co-program chair, along with many ASCRS leaders. Every resident came away with a new appreciation for the technologies and how to incor- porate them into their practices. The ReACT Program will be an annual event and will expand to one or two additional locations in the future. Another accomplishment of note was the work done by the ASCRS Foundation. The Foundation has thrived under the leadership of Richard Lindstrom, MD. We've expanded and added two co-chairs, with David Chang, MD, taking the leadership into international missions and Steven Lane, MD, being responsible for the Founda- tion in the U.S. The Foundation is energized to create a national model of service, providing ophthalmic surgery to those who are less fortunate right here in the U.S. ASCRS is asking for all of its mem- bership to contribute time, energy, and skills to embrace this new op- portunity. I've been impressed by my fellow ophthalmologists' dedica- tion, ethical decisions, and desire to serve patients. Very simply, ophthal- mologists are among the best people I know. I'm pleased that the ASCRS leadership will have some notable consistency going forward. There have been a lot of great people who've predated me as president, and these people are legendary ophthalmologists. However, when it comes to the ASCRS executive director, we've had only one, and that's Dave Karcher. He's served ASCRS and the ophthalmic commu- nity over the last 40 years in such an extraordinary fashion; he's a giant in the specialty. He's the lynchpin that holds ASCRS together. He's put together a tremendous team of staff, and it all starts with his leadership. EyeWorld: What are some oppor- tunities or challenges you see for ASCRS over the next year or two? Dr. Donnenfeld: As ophthalmolo- gists, we face very specific challenges from government regulations, electronic medical records, patient expectations, and declining reim- bursements. ASCRS is on the front line of all these issues. We are an indispensible organization. We're making sure our voice is heard on Capitol Hill with Nancey McCann, government relations director, we're improving patient education, we're developing practice transitions to new technologies, and we're work- ing to meet the needs of the chang- ing face of ophthalmology. ASCRS reflects the changing face of oph- thalmology. The heart and soul of ASCRS is found in the Clinical Committees, led by the chairs. The people who hold the chairs are the most dedicated, hardest working leaders in the field. It's important to point out that half of the chairs are women, and more than half are peo- ple of color. It speaks to the quality of our organization and our ability to meet the needs of a changing en- vironment in medicine. ASCRS also has opportunities going forward online. ASCRS has "gone social." We've changed our web presence and have completely revamped ASCRS on Facebook, Twitter, and through the ASCRS and ASOA app. It's much easier to find videos and information now. Education is changing today, and ASCRS is meeting these changes with technologically advanced approaches. EyeWorld: How will you continue to stay active in the ASCRS leadership? Dr. Donnenfeld: I'll remain on the executive board for the next 2 years, so I will stay involved in leadership. I've come to the realization that I'm an ASCRS lifer. EW by Vanessa Caceres Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD Do you agree with this statement?: Treating ocular surface problems prior to cataract surgery can have a significant impact on postoperative visual outcomes. Disagree or strongly disagree 7% Agree 20% Strongly agree 72% 92% of attendees at yesterday's symposium on ocular surface diagnostics said that diagnosing and treating ocular surface problems prior to cataract surgery could have a major impact on visual outcomes. This poll was taken at the EyeWorld CME Education program "Developing the Latest Point of Care Ocular Surface Testing Protocols: Making Advanced Decisions from Advanced Diagnostics."

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