Eyeworld

12 | EYEWORLD | SEPTEMBER 2020 EYEWORLD JOURNAL CLUB ASCRS NEWS by Rachel Anderson, MD, and Jeffrey Goshe, MD A decade has passed since the U.S. FDA's approval of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS), 1 but questions remain as to whether the technology provides sufficient benefits to patients and ophthalmologists to justify its cost. FLACS attempts to standardize and automate several of the key steps of cataract surgery, in- cluding corneal wound creation, capsulorhexis, and lens fragmentation. In the hands of expe- rienced surgeons, FLACS has demonstrated a benefit in process measures such as phacoemul- sification time and total energy use as compared to conventional phacoemulsification cataract surgery (CPS). 2,3,4,5 However, these theoretical FLACS has always held the potential to help inexperienced surgeons by automating key surgical steps. I invited the Cleveland Clinic residents to review this randomized, prospective comparison trial that appears in the September issue of JCRS. —David F. Chang, MD EyeWorld Journal Club Editor Review of "Outcomes of resident- performed laser-assisted vs. traditional phacoemulsification" continued on page 14 Rachel Anderson, MD Resident Cole Eye Institute Cleveland Clinic Jeffrey Goshe, MD Residency program director Cole Eye Institute Cleveland Clinic Cleveland, Ohio Igniting opportunities for collaboration globally The ASCRS Foundation seeks to address not only individual cases of cataract blindness but also to fight its root cause: the shortage of eye surgeons in the developing world. The solution to this issue is two-fold: to create centers of excellence where surgical ophthalmologists can efficiently serve patient populations in need, and to focus on education, raising the local standards for both patient care and physician training. The ASCRS Foundation is proud to work with its international partners to create lasting change in the treatment of global cata- ract blindness. Earlier this summer, the ASCRS Founda- tion's International Division, consisting of lead- ers and partners working in the field of interna- tional eyecare, convened a series of three virtual update meetings on the pandemic's impact on humanitarian eyecare efforts. Leaders shared updates on the virtual SICS simulator and the Aravind miLOOP (Carl Zeiss Meditec) mini-CAP trial and discussed solutions for continuing patient care in challenging environ- ments. The conversations included plans for a virtual ICO Board Review, which is the annual 3-day preparatory course organized by the Himalayan Cataract Project with support from Emory University and the ASCRS Foundation. All six of Ethiopia's residency program directors participated, discussing how they've adapted education and training for emerging ophthalmologists during the pandemic period. Finally, the Foundation was pleased to introduce and honor its first five grantees of the Young Eye Surgeon International Service Grant. These are challenging times for ophthal- mology worldwide, and we hope that by sharing experiences, the International Division can con- tinue to foster opportunity and collaboration. For more information on the ASCRS Foundation, visit www.ascrsfoundation.org. continued from page 10 Contact Goshe: GOSHEJ@ccf.org

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