Eyeworld

10 | EYEWORLD | SUMMER 2026 ASCRS NEWS EYESUSTAIN UPDATE system designed to enable safe reuse of ophthalmic devices. —Emily Schehlein, MD, EyeSustain Update Guest Editor T he safe reuse of ophthalmic medica- tions and instruments is essential in the broader mission of eliminating needless waste and making eyecare more sustainable. 1 Yet for decades, that standard has gone unmet across our office lanes given the absence of a practical, validated method of point-of-care disinfection. The result has been a patchwork of workarounds: self-im- posed discard dates for eye dropper bottles, a shift to single-use disposable tonometer tips and Sustainable reuse of ophthalmic devices: a novel solution for reprocessing point- of-care equipment Ophthalmology continues to strive to balance the goal of environmental sustainability with patient safety concerns. However, mandates surround- ing the reuse of ophthalmic medications and instruments are often not supported by robust, standardized evidence and can carry unintended consequences, including increased waste, rising drug costs, medication shortages, and instru- ment degradation. These challenges highlight a critical gap in our ability to practice safely and sustainably, underscoring the need for practical, evidence-based solutions. In this EyeSustain Update column, Vikram Shankar, MD, MPH, explores a novel, validated approach to point-of-care disinfection. His article highlights the development and clinical impli- cations of an automated ultraviolet irradiation by Vikram A. Shankar, MD, MPH About the physician Vikram A. Shankar, MD, MPH Glaucoma specialist Stanford Byers Eye Institute Founder and CEO Drop Mate Palo Alto, California References 1. Palmer DJ, et al. Reducing topical drug waste in ophthalmic surgery: multisociety position paper. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2022;48:1073–1077. 2. Shankar VA, et al. Efficacy of an automated point-of-care ultraviolet C disinfection system for reusable ophthalmic devices. Ophthalmology. 2026;133:654– 660. 3. Schein OD, et al. Microbial contamination of in-use ocular medications. Arch Ophthalmol. 1992;110:82–85. 4. Geyer O, et al. Microbial contamination of medications used to treat glaucoma. Br J Ophthalmol. 1995;79:376–379. 5. Kyei S, et al. Microbial contam- ination of multiple-use bottles of fluorescein ophthalmic solution. Clin Exp Optom. 2019;102:30–34. 6. Chua SW, et al. Microbial contamination of extended use ophthalmic drops in ophthal- mology clinic. Clin Ophthalmol. 2021;15:3147–3152. section editors, Karolinne Rocha, MD, PhD, Julie Schallhorn, MD, Manjool Shah, MD, and Kendall Donaldson, MD. I sincerely appreciate their hard work and dedication and look for- ward to our further collaboration. As I step into this role, I'd like to specifically thank Sumit "Sam" Garg, MD, for all that he's accomplished as Chief Medical Editor. He's been an exceptional leader and has built upon the strong foundation of the editors who came be- fore him. Sam really has his finger on the pulse of our specialty and has been able to leverage his unique insights to develop the scope of EyeWorld, increasing contributions from the broader ASCRS membership, responding to the changing landscape of how we receive infor- mation, and expanding the voices of Govern- ment Relations, the ASCRS Foundation, and EyeSustain. Moving forward, we will endeavor to expand on his legacy and focus on the issues that affect the many stakeholders in our special- ty: practicing ophthalmologists, residents and fellows, academic institutions, philanthropic organizations, and our industry partners. The Summer issue of EyeWorld is the first to follow the 2026 ASCRS Annual Meeting— hard to believe it was only 3 months ago! I encourage you to head to the ASCRS website to catch the meeting highlights or dig deeper into the wealth of content available from our recent gathering in Washington, D.C. The overarch- ing theme for this issue is expanding digital technologies. The "digital explosion" was well represented at the ASCRS Annual Meeting and is covered here with articles on robotic cataract surgery, visual simulators for IOL selection, digital visualization in cataract surgery, corne- al imaging, and big data/diagnostic tools for glaucoma management. We also hit on other salient topics, including advancements in LASIK treatment planning, new refractive lasers, dry eye reimbursement, corneal tissue procedures, traumatic glaucoma, and approaches to choos- ing a career in ophthalmology. Well, enough with my rambling. Suffice it to say, I'm very honored to take on the role of EyeWorld Chief Medical Editor. I look forward to serving the ASCRS membership and will strive to continue the standard of excellence set by the editors before me. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please feel free to email me at mweikert@bcm.edu. continued from page 3 continued on page 12

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