Eyeworld

JUNE 2022 | EYEWORLD | 3 by Eric Donnenfeld, MD age of ophthalmology is today, and tomorrow looks even brighter. In this issue of EyeWorld, we highlight (as we always do) incorporating new technology and techniques into practice. Diagnosing a problem prior to cataract surgery creates an expectation. Diagnosing the same problem post- operatively is perceived by the patient as the surgeon's complication. This is the reason many of us perform a macula OCT prior to cataract surgery. New OCT technology is revolutioniz- ing diagnostics. Refractive cataract surgery has never been more dynamic or rewarding thanks to recent advances in technology. Presbyopic and toric IOLs are increasing patients' freedom from spectacles and, more importantly, improv- ing their quality of life. We will be discussing the next generation of these lenses and how to incorporate them into practice. MIGS proce- dures are equally stimulating and are bringing comprehensive anterior segment surgeons back into glaucoma surgery. New MIGS devices are transforming glaucoma management. Finally, in this issue of EyeWorld, the next frontier in presbyopia management, topical pharmaceuti- cal therapy, is discussed and evaluated. Having just returned from the 2022 ASCRS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., I see that our organization has never been more vibrant or more committed to our patients and our membership. ASCRS Executive Director Steve Speares has done an amazing job of guiding the organization through the pandemic gauntlet T here is something extraordinarily grat- ifying about being an ophthalmologist, restoring and pre- serving vision. This thought is captured in an old Chinese proverb: "If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody." There is nothing more rewarding than doing something important that helps people and improves their quality of life, which is what we do every day. The best advice I ever received was during my residency after performing my very first cataract surgery. I was experiencing the euphoria we have all gone through, and my attending surgeon recognized this and wisely said the key to a successful career in ophthal- mology is to capture that passion and recall it after every surgery you perform. He was correct, and I pay this advice forward to every resident and fellow I take through a first procedure. I also watch my peers present cases at the ASCRS Annual Meeting and note the sense of accom- plishment in their presentations in helping others. I sense they experience the same passion in their work as I do. This might be the reason so many of our colleagues work into their 70s and even 80s. There is nothing else we would rather do. Ophthalmology is a technology-driven pro- fession. I remember during my residency in the 1980s when we had moved from intracapsular cataract surgery to extracapsular surgery with a few renegades performing phacoemulsifica- tion. Patients were receiving intraocular lenses on a regular basis, and aphakic spectacles were beginning to disappear. Radial keratotomy was increasing in popularity, and for the first time, refractive cornea surgery was a viable concept. Trabeculectomy was the gold standard in glau- coma surgery, and ASCRS was in its infancy. I was told by my mentors that I had just missed the golden age of ophthalmology. All of the im- portant advances had already been made. They could not have been more wrong. The golden The pleasure has been mine continued on page 13 Contact Donnenfeld: ericdonnenfeld@gmail.com There is nothing more rewarding than doing something important that helps people and improves their quality of life, which is what we do every day.

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