Eyeworld

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2026 ASCRS CLINICAL SURVEY T he 2026 ASCRS Clinical Survey was taken by 817 par- ticipants onsite at the 2026 ASCRS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The majority (68%) of survey respondents practiced in the U.S. The average number of years in practice for all respondents was 14 years. Nearly a third (32%) of respondents were in practice from 0–5 years, with 11% in practice 6–10 years, 19% in practice 11–20 years, 15% in practice 21–30 years, 11% in practice longer than 30 years, and 12% who were residents or fel- lows in training. Responses were close to an even split by gender (55% male and 45% female). The highest percentage of survey respondents perform surgery in an ASC (48%), while 29% noted hospital outpatient department (HOPD) and 6% in office. Respondents were part of a variety of ophthalmology practices, including multispecialty ophthalmology groups (37%), academic (30%), single specialty ophthalmology groups (15%), solo (6%), and others. Survey respondents had a mix of primary specialties, including cataract/anterior segment (41%), comprehensive ophthalmology (21%), cornea/external disease (15%), glaucoma (9%), refractive (5%), retina (2%), and other (7%). In relation to presbyopia-correcting IOLs, it is clear that the fear of problems and the ability to troubleshoot is the biggest bar- rier. First, there is a concern of laser access for refractive misses. There is a concern for poor quality vision, which would inevitably lead to the need for treatments such as IOL exchange. There is also a concern about cost. The higher the cost, the greater the demand of the patient and therefore, the slimmer the margin of error. This leads to the need for secondary procedures. Surgeons may not have access to the needed treatments or not feel comfort- able doing them. It makes me wonder if a surgeon with a low uti- lization rate worked in a practice with another surgeon who was very comfortable with IOL exchanges and postop laser correction, would their utilization go up? The percent who would not implant a premium IOLs in an irregular cornea dropped from 50% in 2025 to 35% in 2026, so surgeons are more comfortable using these lenses in higher-risk patients. It makes me wonder if more forgiving IOLs, such as the Light Adjustable Lens (RxSight; this was not listed as a choice), small aperture lenses, or newer EDOF lenses, have made surgeons more comfortable. It does not seem to be related to the newer EDOF lenses, as the percentage of these being viewed as appropri- ate actually dropped. —Kenneth Beckman, MD "The educational programming that ASCRS does is driven by the Clinical Survey, so when people complete the survey, they're helping themselves and helping the organization. The more information people give in the survey, the better the meetings are, the better the publications are, the more directed the education is. Completing the survey is an important part of being a member of ASCRS." —Richard Tipperman, MD, ASCRS Cataract Clinical Committee Chair

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