EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
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44 EW FEATURE February 2011 2014 December 2013 What's ahead in Vanguard continued from page 43 Work in an academic sphere and private practice Dr. Yeu has experience working in an academic setting as well as in a private practice. She formerly worked at Baylor University and recently transitioned to private practice at Virginia Eye Consultants in Norfolk, Va. There are aspects of both settings that she enjoys. "I was truly blessed to have experienced the mentorship from experts in the field while an Anterior Segment/Cornea Fellow at Baylor, but the collaboration and camaraderie that I developed with them while on faculty was priceless" she said. However, she also noted that it can sometimes be an easier process to get involved in clinical trials and industry work in a private practice setting. John Berdahl, MD Dr. Berdahl serves on the executive committee of the group as secretary and has distinguished himself in many ways, including being involved with new device development and technologies. "We wanted to be purposeful about shaping the future since we are going to be living it for the next few decades," Dr. Berdahl said. "We also wanted to build upon what the people who came before us did." There were many ophthalmologists in the previous generation who made incredible contributions to the field, he said, and the goal was to build upon and learn from those advancements. "It is truly one of the most professionally satisfying things that I am a part of this group of trusted friends who are all going in the same direction to help our profession be as good as it can be," Dr. Berdahl said. "You always want an honest sounding board for any idea to make sure that the things that you're doing make sense." He said it helps immensely in his practice to have a number of people to contact about a specific case or the possibility of getting involved in new trials. Dr. Berdahl believes this type of group helps identify new technologies to get involved with and ways to implement them. "We all love this profession, and there is something special about ophthalmology and the trust that patients put in us," Dr. Berdahl said. "I think what we are trying to do is deliver on that trust by magnifying our individual voices and working collectively." Personal work and interests Dr. Berdahl is currently working with several new technologies. He is implanting the iStent (Glaukos, Laguna Hills, Calif.) and using new femtosecond laser technology in his practice. He is also working with some of the research protocols of the Light Adjustable Lens (Calhoun Vision, Pasadena, Calif.) and next generation microinvasive glaucoma devices that are currently in clinical trials. Through the Vanguard Ophthalmology Society, he is working with research trials organized within the group on things like IOL outcomes using the Monte Carlo simulation and comparing different IOLs that are currently on the market, including toric IOLs. EW Contact information Berdahl: john.berdahl@vancethompsonvision.com Waring: georgewaring@me.com Yeu: eyeulin@gmail.com