Eyeworld

EW REFRACTIVE SURGERY 32 July 2015 by Steven Schallhorn, MD R efractive surgery is central to our collective goal as ophthalmologists: helping patients achieve their best vision, no matter the start- ing line. I have big shoes to fill (and a few inches to grow) as I humbly succeed Eric Donnenfeld, MD, as the refractive editor for EyeWorld. Eric and the refractive editorial board have made this section and this publication a resounding suc- cess and a resource for all physicians interested in learning about best practices, new technology, and over- all refractive case management. I join the EyeWorld editorial board as a corneal specialist, with refractive surgery being at the core of where I have focused my ca- reer. Currently, I am a professor of ophthalmology at the University of California San Francisco, chief med- ical director of Optical Express (the largest provider of refractive surgery in Europe), and in private practice in San Diego. I have been an active member of ASCRS since the be- ginning of my ophthalmic career and have served on the Refractive Clinical Committee and participated in numerous ASCRS and EyeWorld programs. My aspiration is to help bring renewed enthusiasm to you, our EyeWorld readers, as it pertains to refractive surgery. As we all know, this specialty has seen highs and lows over the last decade, with in- ternational economies affecting our patient volumes. However, when we step back and observe the 40,000- foot view, we see the outcomes we are able to provide today are truly remarkable. And equally exciting is the evolution of technology we are now seeing: advanced diagnostics with wavefront technology, new ab- lation profiles with topography, and even revolutionary new procedures with intrastromal lenticule removal. I want to make sure that our readers are not only aware of new technology and options but also best practices and the ability to incorpo- rate them into clinical care. Practice management is a critical component to success, and I have experience implementing new devices and optimizing patient care and flow in a variety of practice models. When the tide of refractive volumes rises, we will all benefit. The recently developed ASCRS Clinical Survey is a great tool to help us understand your specific interests and areas where we should con- centrate, and my goal is to use this as a guide for content. We, ASCRS members, have so many resources at our fingertips: presentations and symposia from the annual meet- ing, regional education, and a wide array of online programming. It is important that our team provides you a clear path to relevant and cutting-edge refractive topics. Additionally, I want this experi- ence to be highly interactive. I look forward to working with Eric and the EyeWorld team to pave new ways to hear from you and have collab- orative conversations on pressing topics, case studies, and new areas of developing interest. I am both enthusiastic and humbled to succeed Eric, who has done an incredible job keeping a high momentum for the refractive section. I look forward to continuing his success and growing this space to accommodate our developing needs as clinicians and surgeons as we celebrate a new dawn for refractive surgery. EW Contact information Schallhorn: scschallhorn@yahoo.com Transition in EyeWorld refractive editor R efractive surgery is right at the heart of EyeWorld. Thirty years ago the American Intraocular Implant Society changed its name to the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery when a previous generation of leadership recognized that refrac- tive surgery was the next frontier for anterior segment surgeons and that ASCRS was going to take us there. This year is shaping up to be an extraordinarily exciting one for refractive surgery and ASCRS. We are all looking forward to technological advances on the immediate horizon such as wavefront aberrometers, topographic ablations, the SMILE technique, and UV crosslinking, and EyeWorld is going to provide a ringside seat as we examine these new procedures. I cannot imagine a better person to lead the refractive section of EyeWorld as we exam- ine and learn about these new technologies than Steven Schallhorn, MD. Steve succeeds me (a huge improvement) as the refractive editor as I move on to become chief medical editor of EyeWorld. Steve is the Bo Jackson of ophthalmology, a 2 sport all-star. Many of us aspire to excel at what we do, and if we are exceptional, we dream to be the best we can be in 1 profession. Steve has reached the pinnacle in 2 completely different areas. He graduated from Colorado State University and entered the U.S. Navy in 1977. Captain Schallhorn was trained as an F-14 naval aviator with the highest grade recorded in training squadron and was the winner of the 1981 annual F-14 fighter derby with the highest grade ever recorded in a scored air-to-air combat exercise. He was then selected among hundreds of highly qualified naval officers to serve as combat instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). There is even a rumor that the movie Top Gun was significantly based on Steve's personal experiences. But that was not enough so he set his sights on ophthalmology. Steve was the first surgeon in the U.S. armed forces to perform PRK, LASIK, and implant phakic intraocular lenses. He established and directed the first military excimer laser and refractive surgery center at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego and was instrumental in creating 6 other Navy refractive surgery centers at geographic locations within the U.S. He has written extensively on LASIK and PRK and has been instrumental in advancing the safety and efficacy of refractive surgery. Steve will lead an extraordinary group of refractive surgeons including John Berdahl, MD, Kraig Bower, MD, Ralph Chu, MD, Neel Desai, MD, Elizabeth Hofmeister, MD, Louis Probst, MD, and Thomas E. Clinch, MD, who comprise the EyeWorld refractive editorial board. Please join me in welcoming Steve as the new refractive editor of EyeWorld. We look forward to learning from the TOPGUN of refractive surgery and his exceptional team. Eric Donnenfeld, MD, chief medical editor Refractive editor's corner of the world

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