Eyeworld

28 | EYEWORLD | APRIL 2020 COVID-19 NEWS YOU CAN USE ASCRS NEWS faster diagnostics, new and effective treatments, more efficient logistics, as well as a successful vaccine. The intelligence, drive, creativity, and cooperation of all of us will defeat this pan- demic. We must support our physicians, nurses, and technicians who are on the frontline and are at a significant health risk. We also need to support our employees and local community that face financial hardships. Stay positive, be safe, and be well. Togeth- er we will defeat COVID-19 and get our lives back. We will also put on great educational events once again. I look forward to seeing everyone at the 2021 ASCRS Annual Meeting, April 9–13, in San Francisco. The world of ophthal- mology has changed dra- matically over the past several weeks with the COVID-19 pandemic. We closed 80% of our offices in mid-March, and we are only doing emergency surgery. A couple of second eyes in patients with signifi- cant anisometropia had cataract surgery and that was the end of cataract surgery. Our OR is open only for emergent cases such as retina, corneal perforations, and glaucoma. We have opened four regional emergent offices that are staffed by a skeleton crew of office staff, a retina doctor, and a glaucoma doctor. We have a cornea person on call but not seeing routine cases. All of our offices are being cleaned several times a day, family members stay outside in their cars, and only the patient is allowed in the waiting or examining room. We have outfitted many of our slit lamps with homemade splashguards. We are still following up with some postops from the last few weeks, but the busiest part of the practice is anti-VEGF retina injections. Our • ASCRS cancels its 2020 Annual Meeting • Governor Roy Cooper closes restaurants and bars in North Carolina 3/18: The American Academy of Ophthalmol- ogy issues advisory with ASCRS endorsement to all ophthalmologists to cease providing any treatment other than urgent or emergent care immediately as a result of COVID-19 • Duke Medical Center cancels all elective clinic visits and OR cases 3/21: Coronavirus cases spike in New York City Every one of us has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Our lives have been upended and changed, possibly forever. Un- fortunately, we had to cancel the 2020 ASCRS Annual Meeting in Boston, as almost all non-essential meetings have been canceled worldwide. I would like to thank the ASCRS Program Committee who put a tremendous amount of time, effort, and creativity into what was going to be an outstanding educational and social event. I would also like to thank the ASCRS Clinical Committee members and physicians who were part of the major symposia, paper sessions, and instructional courses who submit- ted their ideas and academic work that makes up our meeting. I also need to thank our in- dustry partners for their continued support for this meeting. We will need great support from industry to help us recover as a profession and as an academic organization. The ASCRS Annual Meeting is about innovation and reporting the progress we make in our great field of ophthalmology. Innovation is what drives our improved outcomes and effi- cient care for our patients. I am confident that our colleagues in internal medicine, infectious disease, pulmonary medicine, as well as the corporate world, will innovate to resolve this pandemic. We will see innovation for new and continued from page 26 continued on page 30 Edward Holland, MD Chair, Program Committee Eric Donnenfeld, MD EyeWorld Chief Medical Editor

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