Eyeworld

68 | EYEWORLD | JUNE 2022 R EFRACTIVE by Vance Thompson, MD Refractive Editor W ow, did I feel such an amazing energy at the 2022 ASCRS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. As I pondered why this was, I realized one relatively obvi- ous reason and another that followed. The first and most obvious reason was it was the first meeting after the COVID-19 shutdown and reopening with mandatory mask wearing where we felt unencumbered by the virus, and we could have a normal meeting with masking by choice. There was great joy in see- ing people's full face and smile but also a feeling of "We have just been through a tough time together, and this is a celebration." If you couple this feeling with the fact that ASCRS organized as well run of a meeting as I have ever been to with significant content, you have the recipe for time well spent. The second reason is there was so much new content and innovation, and I think the pace of innovation in ophthalmology happens so quickly that virtual meetings are just not able to keep up with the transfer of information. We simply learn better in person at a well-organized and well-run meeting. Another way to put it is that while we were not meeting in person, the companies and researchers were continuing to innovate and improve on our devices, drugs, digital offerings, and more, but our virtual meetings could not keep up with the teachings on these advances. The content that meetings like Eyecelerator and the main programming provided was amazing. Bravo, ASCRS! In the same vein, there are some great teachings in this issue of EyeWorld for your learning and reading pleasure. Thank you to Derek Cunningham, OD, and Mitch Ibach, OD, for their input in the article discussing how oph- thalmology and optometry work well together in providing complimentary care to the patients who have seen their optometrist over the years and are now in need of ophthalmic services. Their discussion on the importance of education is worth the read. I want to thank Rosa Braga-Mele, MD, Richard Davidson, MD, and Zarmeena Vendal, MD, for teaching us their holistic approach to refractive IOL offerings. Their emphasis on the patient deserving to know all options is appre- ciated. I like patients to understand that their lens is used to do two things—provide reading range and clarity. The first thing they lost was the reading range, and that leads to readers or bifocals, and the second thing they lost was the clarity. I also like them to understand they have a lifelong implant decision to replace one or both the reading range and the clarity. They like to know what they lost and what they can gain with modern day cataract surgery. Finally, thank you to Y. Ralph Chu, MD, and George Waring IV, MD, for providing tips on incorporating presbyopia drops into practice and sharing their experience with Vuity. I think presbyopia drops will be one of the greatest ad- vances in our history to get a patient population who has traditionally seen well, then bought reading glasses at the drug store, to finally call an eyecare provider and inquire about the drops. It is our chance to get them in for an exam. It is also a great opportunity to plant the educational seeds for them to understand the importance of yearly eye exams and their future surgical options. Can you tell I feel an amazing energy for our profession? The ASCRS Annual Meeting and the information from these great surgeons in this issue of EyeWorld are a big reason. I hope you enjoy these teachings as much as I do. Amazing energy at the ASCRS Annual Meeting Can you tell I feel an amazing energy for our profession? The ASCRS Annual Meeting and the information from these great surgeons in this issue of EyeWorld are a big reason.

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