Eyeworld

2010s–2020s SUPPLEMENT TO EYEWORLD | 61 Looking forward e future of ASCRS Mr. Speares appreciates the work that came before his tenure with ASCRS and noted the many challenges of filling the role of executive director. "I think it's chal- lenging, balancing so many interests," he said, which includes interests from private practice, interest from academic medicine, interest from industry, and interest from CMS. "Ultimately, it says ophthalmolog y is such a special part of medicine. We have the best and the brightest. Patients treasure their sight so much. ere's a heavy responsibility that our staff feels the need to do all that we can to make certain that our members have everything they need to deliver on their promise to their patient. It's constantly evolving. It's constantly challeng- ing." Mr. Speares said he looks forward to making certain that staff can do all it can to "make the Society continue to be relevant and valuable, interesting, enthusiastic, and fun. We can collaborate with each other and still have fun doing it. I think that's also a legacy that ASCRS has had. It's my mission to keep that alive, and when the time comes for me to walk out the door and hand it to the next executive director my hope is that we are stron- ger than ever before." ASCRS always had a welcoming, open-door policy where anyone with a good idea could come and present. at keeps it fresh, Mr. Speares said, and it keeps the environment organic by ensuring that multiple people have multiple ways to impact the organization. Going forward, the Society and ophthalmolog y are not without challenges. ASCRS will need to continue to evolve, as it has during its first 50 years. e world is changing ; medicine is changing ; ophthalmolog y is changing, Dr. Holland said. In the next decade, we'll have to continue to change the ways in which we teach and see how the next generation of ophthalmologists want to learn and be ready to adapt to that. Dr. Yeu said that ASCRS will continue to listen, evolve, and support. "e most important thing is that our members need to know that we are here for them," Dr. Yeu said in a video interview the day she assumed her presidency in 2023. "e point of ASCRS is we are here to serve them and meet the members where they're at in their careers. … Whatever it is, whether [the member's] primary or secondary needs, anything that we can do for anterior segment surgeons, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery should be able to provide that for its membership," Dr. Yeu said. " e most important thing is that our members need to know that we are here for them." —ELIZABETH YEU, MD For fiy years, ASCRS has supported surgeons through some trying times and has championed their triumphs. e next fiy years will not be without challenges, but with the backing of its members and never losing its innovative spirit, ASCRS will continue to advance the education, advocacy, and philanthropy of anterior segment surgery.

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