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EW CATARACT 32 October 2015 with multifocal/toric lenses, he said, because some surgeons have positive feelings and some have negative feelings about these technologies. "When we try to talk our patients into (or out of) things, there is an ethical question and there's also the tremendous obligation that comes with that," he said. Dr. Donaldson said it's import- ant as surgeons to distinguish what the surgeon personally believes might be true and what is actually proven to be true. An important detail for patients undergoing surgery with the femto- second laser to know is how experi- enced their surgeon is. The experts discussed telling the patient about the value of the femtosecond laser but also informing the patient if you have done a limited number of these procedures. Tell the patient that you are a novice with the femtosecond laser and offer multiple options to move forward. "You always have to be honest," Dr. Serafano said. "That's a given." Another topic that came up was what to do if the patient is not a candidate but is requesting the use of the femtosecond laser for surgery. Dr. Donaldson suggested telling pa- tients if they don't fit into a category for use, even if the surgeon thinks the technology is better. by Ellen Stodola EyeWorld Staff Writer Experts delved into the topic at a session at the 2015 ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress I n a session at the 2015 ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress co-sponsored by the ASCRS Cataract Clinical Committee and Ophthalmol- ogy Business, experts discussed the ethics of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery. Richard Hoffman, MD, Eugene, Ore., served as mod- erator of the panel, which featured John Banja, PhD, Atlanta, Kendall Donaldson, MD, Miami, Donald Serafano, MD, Long Beach, Calif., Michael Snyder, MD, Cincinnati, and Abhay Vasavada, MD, Ahmed- abad, India. The session started with au- dience response questions, which asked those in attendance if they are currently using femtosecond cataract surgery and whether they believe there are ethical dilemmas related to the surgery. About 42% indicated that they are not using the femto- second laser but are interested, while 33% said they do use it, and 22% indicated that they have no inten- tion of using it at this time. About half of the audience believed that there are modest associated ethical dilemmas that are easy to overcome. The panel then discussed a number of scenarios and gave their opinions on how to proceed. The first scenario was a question of access, with a patient coming to a practice on the recommendation of a friend who had successful cataract surgery done by the surgeon. The surgeon does not perform femto- second laser cataract surgery and does not have access to a laser, but the patient is requesting femtosec- ond laser cataract surgery. Audience responses on this question were split between referring the patient to an ophthalmologist with access to a la- ser and discussing the attributes and limitations of the laser and talking the patient out of laser cataract surgery. Dr. Snyder believes the solution to the ethical dilemma would be very dependent on whether the sur- geon thinks it's a superior technol- ogy or not. There is a translational problem, not only with femto but Ethics of femtosecond laser-assisted Program Chair Richard S. Hoffman, MD Panelists John D. Banja, PhD Kendall E. Donaldson, MD Donald N. Serafano, MD Michael E. Snyder, MD Abhay R. Vasavada, MS, FRCS During this symposium the various ethical dilemmas that arise due to the availability and restrictions of femtosecond laser cataract surgery will be presented. Audience and panel participa- tion should allow for an enlightening session on the ethics of this new technology. Pre-approved to qualify for ABO Self-Assessment CME (SACME) credit. S-16 Symposium: The Ethics of Femtosecond Laser- Assisted Cataract Surgery Sunday, April 19, 2015 4:45 – 6:00 PM Program San Diego Convention Center – Room 10 Co-sponsored by the ASCRS Cataract Clinical Committee and Ophthalmology Business OB ethics ad_EW 2013 Generic Dec 2012 ad 3/4/15 1:14 PM Page 1 " It's important as surgeons to distinguish what the surgeon personally believes might be true and what is actually proven to be true. " –Kendall Donaldson, MD

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