Eyeworld Daily News

EW SHOW DAILY 48 What to expect at leading cataract sessions A t this year's ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress, choices for cataract prac- titioners abound. Eye- World made the rounds to get the scoop on what attendees can anticipate from these widely at- tended sessions. Femtosecond find In a key cataract session titled "Fem- tosecond Laser Refractive Cataract Surgery," to take place on Tuesday from 8 to 9:30 a.m. in room 134 of the Moscone Center, attendees will learn how cutting-edge femtosecond laser technology can assist them in refractive cataract surgery. Robert J. Cionni, MD, Salt Lake City, who will be moderating the session, will interact with panelists who will bring to light how femtosecond cataract surgery compares with man- ual phacoemulsification, share pearls, and discuss surgical tech- niques and docking procedures. To enhance the discussion, audience participation will be encouraged. A bite at the "Golden Apple" Meanwhile, for those interested in seeing how others handle moments of surgical crisis, the session on "Complicated and Challenging Cases in Cataract Surgery" promises to be a highlight. Rosa Braga-Mele, MD, Toronto, moderator of the ses- sion, pegs it as a great opportunity for practitioners to learn from their colleagues. For this symposium, which will be held on Monday from 8 to 9:30 a.m. in room 134 of the Moscone Center, practitioners from around the world were encouraged to submit their videos. These 40 to 50 submissions were then whittled down to the top eight videos by the ASCRS Cataract Clinical Committee, Dr. Braga-Mele explained. Each of the videos can help pre- pare practitioners for what may lay ahead in their own cases, she thinks. "[They show] us how to avoid cer- tain complications or if a complica- tion or a challenge occurs how to face it and deal with it head-on," Dr. Braga-Mele said. Each of these chal- lenging vignettes is recounted by practitioners in a five-minute case presentation. "Then there's a panel of experts who comment on what could have been done differently or what was done well," she said. Attendees will have the chance to vote on what they view as the best case presented. "We have the Golden Apple award every year that is given to the best case presenta- tion, as deemed by the audience," Dr. Braga-Mele said. Some of this year's session high- lights, she thinks, will be the fem- tosecond cases. Other issues tackled will include dealing with the mature hard cataract, securing IOLs in the face of no capsular support, proper cleanup if the posterior capsule should break, and avoidable compli- cations that surgeons brought on themselves. Dr. Braga-Mele hopes that atten- dees come away from the session feel- ing more confident within their own practices when dealing with all cases, including challenging ones that may come up suddenly. "Even with straightforward cases that don't go the way that you expect them to go, the key is to remain calm and to have an armamentarium of techniques to deal with these cases should they arise," she concluded. EW Editors' note: Dr. Braga-Mele has no fi- nancial interests related to her com- ments. Saturday, April 20, 2013 ASCRS Symposia by Maxine Lipner EyeWorld Senior Contributing Writer Randall J. Olson, MD, 2012 Abhay R. Vasavada, FRCS, 2011 I. Howard Fine, MD, 2010 David F. Chang, MD, 2009 Edward J. Holland, MD, 2008 Steve C. Schallhorn, MD, 2007 Stephen S. Lane, MD, 2006 Graham D. Barrett, FRACO, 2005 Roger F. Steinert, MD, 2004 Douglas D. Koch, MD, 1993 Jack T. Holladay, MD, 1992 Stephen L. Trokel, MD, 1991 Stephen A. Obstbaum, MD, 1990 Charles D. Kelman, MD, 1989 David J. Apple, MD, 1988 Richard P. Kratz, MD, 1987 Endre A. Balazs, MD, 1986 Henry M. Clayman, MD, 1985 ASCRS Binkhorst medalists emeritus Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, 2003 Marguerite B. McDonald, MD, 2001 Robert H. Osher, MD, 2000 Walter J. Stark, MD, 1999 Samuel Masket, MD, 1998 Kenneth J. Hoffer, MD, 1997 Kensaku Miyake, MD, 1996 Theo Seiler, MD, 1995 Howard V. Gimbel, MD, 1994 Edward Epstein, MD, 1984 Robert C. Drews, MD, 1982 D. Peter Choyce, MD, 1981 Henry Hirschman, MD, 1979 Miles A. Galin, MD, 1978 Norman S. Jaffe, MD, 1977 Jan G. F. Worst, MD, 1976 Cornelius D. Binkhorst, MD, 1975 Rosa Braga-Mele, MD, Toronto, will moderate the "Complicated and Challenging Cases in Cataract Surgery" session.

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