Eyeworld

12 | EYEWORLD | MAY 2019 ASCRS NEWS In terms of the meeting, Dr. Solomon said it can give young eye surgeons a "glimpse into real-world practice," covering material that is addressed in training but perhaps not to the same level. "In your first 5 years, I think it's essential to broaden your education and refine your knowl- edge of where the current state of cataract and refractive surgery is," Dr. Solomon said. Dr. Donnenfeld said the Annual Meeting helps anterior segment surgeons meet increas- ing patient expectations. "Patients are looking for quality vision and they want ophthalmologists who are able to deliver outcomes that are difficult to obtain. At ASCRS you receive the tools, the knowledge, and you have the backup of our organization to allow you to become proficient in all of these different areas that you may or may not have obtained during your residency." Dr. Perez-Straziota described her decade- plus of attending the Annual Meeting as going through phases. When she first attended, she said she was excited and a bit intimidated. When a first-year resident, she thought the meeting showed her the things she was about to start learning. By her second year of residency, she was starting to understand more, and in her third year doing more surgery, she was able to better appreciate at the meeting how people from other institutions did things. Once out in practice, Dr. Perez-Straziota said the Annual Meeting helped solidify her knowledge and presented her with different ways of doing things so she could decide what was best for her and her patients. There's also the content provided by ASOA, she said. "You have to understand a lot about billing, coding, meaningful use, etc.," she explained. "[The ASCRS ASOA Annual Meeting] is a great resource for that, which you often don't think about when you are a resident. That's a new phase of ASCRS for young people." "The Annual Meeting provides concen- trated exposure to all the new developments, findings, and trends. Some of these may prove more useful than others over time, and that exposure combined with interactions with colleagues is invaluable in deciding what to in- corporate into your practice and what to watch closely for more data," Dr. Perez-Straziota said, adding that it's important to stay up to date on the latest technology, trends, and techniques. Dr. Brissette said she never misses the ASCRS ASOA Annual Meeting because of its focus "on everything anterior segment." "There are so many conferences in oph- thalmology, but ASCRS stands out to me for the programming, networking, and Skills Trans- fer Labs," she said. continued from page 10 • Submit an abstract for a paper or poster or a film for the Annual Meeting. • Contact one of the ASCRS Clinical Committee chairs about getting involved with a committee. • Volunteer for Operation Sight, the ASCRS Foundation's domes- tic charitable cataract surgery program, or see how you might be able to get involved with the Foundation's Robert Sinskey Eye Institute in Ethiopia. • Become an eyeContact with the grassroots efforts of ASCRS Government Relations. • Attend the Legislative Fly-In. • Ask questions and participate in conversations on EyeConnect. ways to get involved 5

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