Eyeworld

1990s–2000s SUPPLEMENT TO EYEWORLD | 33 Surgeons and ASCRS have had to come to the defense of laser vision correction, namely LASIK, at various points in time. LASIK has been shown over and over to have the highest success rate of any elective surgical procedure, Dr. McDonald said, but she noted that there has been some negative attention through the years with people questioning outcomes and amplifying publicly the incredibly rare complications. Eric Donnenfeld, MD, 2013–2014 ASCRS Pres- ident, testified at a 2008 FDA hearing in defense of LASIK on behalf of ASCRS. Dr. Donnenfeld has spo- ken about the importance of this hearing on a personal level because not only did he defend the procedure and its track record, but he also learned a valuable lesson about the importance of ensuring that patients don't feel abandoned by their physician. e first female president In addition to performing the world's first laser vi- sion correction procedure, Dr. McDonald was the first female president of ASCRS. "At the time that was also very controversial," she said, adding that it was a huge honor but also a lot of pressure. Most committees within ASCRS now are at least half women, Dr. McDonald said. "We've had several female presidents. It's wonderful to have seen the evolution," she said, adding that there were very few women on the podium when she started presenting at meetings. Dr. McDonald served as president of ASCRS from 2002–2003. Priscilla Arnold, MD, was Pres- ident from 2004–2005, Bonnie Henderson, MD, served from 2017–2018, and Elizabeth Yeu, MD, served from 2023–2024. Dr. McDonald, the first female president of ASCRS, stands with I. Howard Fine, MD, who preceded her as president of ASCRS. Source: ASCRS Past female presidents of ASCRS —Dr. Arnold (le), Dr. Henderson (middle), and Dr. Yeu (right). Source (all): ASCRS Dr. Donnenfeld gave the Steinert Lecture at ASCRS Re- fractive Day in 2019 and shared about his experience speaking before the FDA about LASIK in 2008. Source: ASCRS

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