Eyeworld

20 | EYEWORLD | SUMMER 2026 ASCRS NEWS Contact Miller: kmiller@ucla.edu by Ellen Stodola Editorial Co-Director About the physician Kevin M. Miller, MD Kolokotrones Chair in Ophthalmology Chief of the Cataract and Refractive Surgery Division Stein Eye Institute David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California training activity, becoming a member of ASCRS is a natural next step. "I'd like to see academic departments create divisions of cataract refractive surgery, and I'd like to see those divisions then create fellow- ships to train people on the things that we do as a subspecialty society," Dr. Miller said. "Finding ways to engage people is also something we're targeting," he continued, add- ing that it will be important to include ophthal- mology department chairs in this effort as well. There's an opportunity to create something brand new. This is a long-term effort to address ophthalmology training as a whole, he said. Membership growth will also entail reach- ing out to other specialty societies, like the Cornea Society and the American Glaucoma Society. "I think we need to do more outreach to these other societies to bring some of their subspecialists on board," he said. Dr. Miller is interested in the working relationships between ophthalmologists and optometrists. He acknowledged the concern and caution around scope of practice expansion for optometrists but said that ophthalmologists and optometrists often work closely together and in collaboration in many practices and university systems. He stressed the importance of ophthal- mologists and optometrists being on the same page in terms of education and medical man- agement of patients because this can help prac- tices thrive. "I think there's a responsible way of doing this," he said, adding that it's important to keep any education for optometrists non-sur- gical and within their scope of practice. Decreasing reimbursement continues to be a concern. "We need to educate ophthalmolo- gists on how to generate revenue in the setting of ever-declining reimbursements from Medi- care and private payers because this problem is not going away," Dr. Miller said. Unless you're offering premium services, you won't be able to stay in business, and that's where something like the ASCRS ASOA Business of Refractive Cataract Surgery (BRiCS) Summit is applicable, he said. He stressed that it's important for mem- bers to realize the value of this offering for their practices and how to implement these services New ASCRS President shares plans for the year continued on page 22 K evin M. Miller, MD, officially took on the role of ASCRS President at the 2026 ASCRS Annual Meeting in Wash- ington, D.C. He spoke to EyeWorld about his involvement in the Society and what he's looking forward to during his tenure. Focusing on membership and building it across the Society is one of his main goals and initiatives. Across the country, medical societies are seeing dwindling numbers of members, he said, which is largely driven by economics. Dr. Miller plans to put forth a concentrated effort to grow membership to keep the Society function- ing and strong. "If you look at ophthalmology as a specialty, we have the American Academy of Ophthal- mology, which represents all of us, and we have different subspecialty societies. Most of the sub- specialties have fellowships, but there aren't any specific fellowships in cataract and refractive surgery. It's the largest specialty in ophthalmol- ogy, but it's not represented in any fellowship programs," Dr. Miller said. In most training programs, cataract train- ing and clinical care are delegated to general or comprehensive ophthalmology, Dr. Miller continued. Refractive surgery is usually associ- ated with the cornea service, but refractive and general cornea care are quite far apart, though they work on the same tissue. As such, one of Dr. Miller's goals is to en- courage department chairs at academic institu- tions or division chiefs to think about starting cataract and refractive surgery divisions or services. Cataract and refractive teaching should have a dedicated presence within academic ophthalmology that reflects what we do as ASCRS members, he said, adding that cataract and refractive surgery is just as much a subspe- cialty as any other. Dr. Miller noted that a decade ago, a cata- ract and refractive surgery division was started at UCLA, where he practices. "We're currently the only one in the country," Dr. Miller said. This should be something all departments at least think about doing, adding that it would produce a ready pool of future members for ASCRS. When residents and fellows go through such a

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