Eyeworld Daily News

59 EW SHOW DAILY Vacationing by the seat of his pants T he wind in his hair and a first taste of freedom in motion—such was the exhilaration experienced by John A. Vukich, MD, Madison, Wis., as a youngster trek- king around on his bicycle. As an adult, Dr. Vukich has parlayed this early enthusiasm into something more, regularly going on cycling excursions instead of traditional vacations. In fact, he is among those select enthusiasts who can say he has cycled on all of the continents. He has also, while vacationing, cycled up impressive summits such as Mont Ventoux in France and even had the opportunity to test the Tour de France route prior to the start of the race. "The first time I did biking beyond just a means of transporta- tion, I was 16 and a friend of mine saw an advertisement for a 'century ride.' We rode 100 miles in one day, and I thought, 'Wow, not only is that good exercise but it's a great way to get out and travel routes that I wouldn't have otherwise and see a part of the area I had not seen before,'" he recalled. However, it was not until he finished his residency and began to practice as an ophthalmologist that he began to seriously consider cycling as a form of exercise. "I met like-minded friends who lived in the neighborhood, and we would get up early before work," Dr. Vukich said. "We'd ride in the sum- mertime from 5:30 until 6:30 in the morning to get a little exercise in." He enjoyed the fact that cycling was social as well, and he could converse while moving. He began to consider the idea of planning a vacation around the sport. Alternative trips "I was lucky enough that my wife also enjoyed it," Dr. Vukich said. The couple began looking into cycling as a vacation option. "We found a bicycle tour com- pany that would organize trips that sounded like fun, and we thought, 'Let's give this a try,'" he said. "Our first trip was in Napa." During the 4-day excursion they rode to Sonoma, which Dr. Vukich said involved aggressive climbs. They were also down amid the vineyards where they could smell the grape must. "I realized that this is a way to experience wine country in a very different way," he said. "I guess that's where we got hooked." Since that time the Vukichs have cycled in Croatia, Vietnam, New Zealand, Australia, and France several times, including the Normandy coast, as well as the Pyrenees. In addition, they have tried their luck at the epicenter of bicycle culture, the Tour de France route, riding just hours before the racers themselves, when the roads were closed to vehicular traffic. "You get to ride on the same route with all of the chalk messages on the road. There are a lot of people who have been sitting all day waiting for the tour so if anyone on a bike comes by, they'll hoot and holler, bang their cowbells and egg you on," Dr. Vukich said. "Then you pull over, find a place to sit, watch the race go by and conclude by going back down." One of their most memorable trips was to Vietnam. "They're hur- tling into this century in so many ways," he said. "You don't have to go too far off the beaten path to get into areas that are very traditional." Cyclists there can experience the lushness and beauty of the country, while seeing how many Vietnamese people are living, offering a chance to meet them in an open way, he said. "It's a great experience in terms of riding along the coasts to get to the agricultural areas where there are rice paddies on either side of elevat- ed paths that are used for agricul- tural purposes, which are also great bike roads," Dr. Vukich said. "We rode into very rural areas where, without fail, we were met by people who were genuinely nice and look- ing to interact in a positive way." Over the years, Dr. Vukich has also taken part in some classic cycling climbs that are part of the Tour de France. Win 1 of 20 Prizes Doctors, please complete this 15 minute survey, giving us your perspectives on the key issues facing ophthalmology today. Enter you in a daily drawing to win 1 of 20 exciting prizes including iPhone 6s, Fitbits & giftcards. Email you the preliminary report before it is published and publicly available. Use your feedback to help guide future ASCRS programming. Doctors, when you complete this survey, we will... 4 3 2 Give you a ra•e ticket for a chance to win a 2015 Tesla Model S, while supplies last. Complete the survey early to ensure you get one. 1 In 15-minute, you can make a di„erence! Doctors have four options to complete the survey Take the survey via iPad at the Clinical Survey booth #1104 along the wall, just inside the main entrance, while resting your feet, charging up your phone, and enjoying a FREE snack and drink. Look for the Clinical Survey iPad Team roaming around the conference to participate. Scan the QR code on this ad to be directed to the survey website. 1 2 3 Go to ascrs2015.questionpro.com to take the survey at your convenience. 4 Scan the QR code or go to ascrs2015.questionpro.com to complete the survey on your own device. 2015 NON-FREIGHT AISLE NON-FREIGHT AISLE NON-FREIGHT AISLE NON-FREIGHT AISLE NON-FREIGHT AISLE NON-FREIGHT AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE AISLE 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200 2300 2400 2500 2600 2700 2800 2900 3000 Entrance Entrance Main Entrance Entrance Entrance Entrance WOMEN WOMEN WOMEN MEN MEN GRAND LOBBY 1307 ASCRS*ASOA Clinical Survey Boot ASCRS*ASOA 2927 Paragon BioTeck 3032 Wolters Kluwer Health 1106 Diopsys, Inc. 2939 Malosa Medical 2903 Coburn Technologies 823 Rumex International Co. 1810 Leiter's Compounding 1717 Bio-Tissue Inc. 1206 I-MED Pharma 2207 Titan Surgical 2225 Stephens Instruments/USIOL 2112 LacriVera 2006 Wexler Surgical, Inc. 1906 New World Medical, Inc. 1629 Carl Zeiss Meditec 2806 MediCapture, Inc. 2613 Eagle Labs 3027 InfiniteAloe 2907 TeleVox 1606 MST (MicroSurgical Technology) 2622 Abbott Medical Optics 923 WaveTec Vision Systems 3041 JEDMED 1711 DGH Technology, Inc. 2021 ASICO 2607 TTI Medical 1011 sea-change inc. 1013 M&S Technologies Inc. 2107 Hurricane Medical Inc. 2133 SightLife 2706 Essilor Laboratories of America 837 ifa systems AG 3008 Nadia International Inc. 939 Leica Microsystems 1117 OASIS Medical, Inc. 2010 Lighthouse for Christ Mission 3018 MaximEyes by First Insight 2606 Slack Incorporated 907 Quantel Medical 2413 Kirwan Surgical Products LLC 2307 Surgistar Inc. 2909 MED-LOGICS, INC. 2708 Optos Inc. 2323 FCI Ophthalmics 2923 Calhoun Vision, Inc. 2517 Konan Medical USA, Inc. 1517 CareCredit 2117 TearScience 2125 MORIA 1917 Vision Share 2506 Contamac LTD. 1521 Topcon Medical Systems 2810 Eyemax 1507 Ocular Instruments Inc. 2009 Wilson Ophthalmic 1712 Eyephotodoc 2617 Modernizing Medicine, Inc. 1127 Alcon Laboratories 2410 MedNet Technologies 2139 Heidelberg Engineering 3022 The Lasik Vision Institute 2507 Micro Medical Devices, Inc. 2108 BlephEx, LLC (formerly Rysurg, LLC) 2007 AccuLens 2917 Surgical Eye Expeditions Intl 1817 Marco Ophthalmic Inc. 1211 Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company (OMIC) 3025 HVO (Haywood Vocational) 2016 Diamatrix Ltd. 3033 Penn Medical/Informatics Systems 815 Ellex 3006 Solx, Inc. 2317 EyeMD EMR Healthcare Systems, Inc. 2711 MTI 2406 Practice Flow Solutions 2206 Patient Education Concepts 2612 Demandforce 1723 Glaukos Corporation 2421 Beaver-Visitec International, Inc. 3010 Prescott's Inc. 1221 JCAHPO 1017 Eyemaginations 2011 Review of Ophthalmology 2209 BSM Consulting 1707 Eagle Vision, Inc. 931 Optovue, Inc. 2510 Glacial Multimedia Inc./MDprospects 1208 CSO srl 3013 Bryn Mawr Communications, LLC 2311 Vision Associates 1306 Rhein Medical, Inc. 1807 Epsilon USA 3024 PST 1223 Optronics 2511 Dexta Corporation 2106 The Eye Group 2210 TransMotion Medical, Inc. 831 NextGen Healthcare 917 American Academy of Ophthalmology 2231 Katena/IOP 1317 Accutome Inc. 2111 Ophthalmology Management 3023 Rose Micro Solutions 2717 IO Practiceware 2508 Fashion Optical Displays 1107 Medennium, Inc. 2408 Ceatus Media Group LLC. 1312 DORC Intl. bv/Dutch Ophthalmic, USA 2109 Cambrian Medical Inc. 2306 Ellman International Inc. 2933 Altaire Pharmaceuticals, Inc 2915 The Lebanon Corporation 2913 KeyMedical Software, Inc 1907 Crestpoint Management 1209 Outpatient Surgery Magazine 3007 Gulden Ophthalmics 3011 AL.CHI.MI.A. s.r.l. 3017 Howard Instruments, Inc. 3009 JCB Laboratories 1912 MANI, INC. 1813 AMCON / Crestpoint Management 1706 Appasamy Associates 3019 Voptica 2919 Fast Track Marketing 2329 Allergan Inc. 2707 Visiometrics, S.L. 1511 Mastel Precision Surgical Instruments 2308 IRIDEX 2807 HAI Laboratories Inc. 1812 Sterimedix 2937 Marasco & Assoc Healthcare Architects 1607 Avellino Lab USA, Inc. 2611 VectorVision Inc. 2012 Biosyntrx Corporation 2804 SOOFT Italia S.p.a 1910 TBI/ Tissue Banks International 3037 S4OPTIK 3028 VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies 2407 Tracey Technologies 1207 Perrigo Specialty Pharmaceuticals 2213 San Diego Eye Bank 1921 Clarity Medical Systems 1039 HOYA Surgical Optics, Inc. 3034 Einstein Medical 1611 Nicox, Inc. 2212 Varitronics Inc. 2020 European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons 3029 Elsevier 1827 Bausch & Lomb 1111 Akorn Pharmaceuticals / AVR 1320 Medical Eyeglass Center 1806 Doctors Allergy Formula 3038 Aurolab 1007 RPS Diagnostics, Inc. 3003 Peschke Trade GmbH 2502 Icon Bioscience, Inc. 2402 The Pilot Group - Engineering 1903 Mediphacos, Ltda 2503 Lacrimedics, Inc. 2704 Surgical Specialties 2504 Macular Health 2102 Enhanced Medical Services 2004 New Vision, Inc. 2403 GloMed, Inc. 2404 iMatrix 2803 Covalent Medical 3002 A.V. Arias & Co 2904 OcuHub ASCRS Clinical Survey Booth #1104 ASCRS / ASOA 2015 - April 18-21, 2015 - San Diego Convention Center by Maxine Lipner EyeWorld Senior Contributing Writer Dr. Vukich's transformative cycle continued on page 60

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