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EW REFRACTIVE SURGERY 34 December 2015 Dr. Cason (CDR U.S. Navy) lectures MRSSS attendees on surgical options for presbyopia correction. Steven Schallhorn, MD, keynote speaker, discusses risk factors for post-refractive surgery corneal ectasia. Source: John Cason, MD by Ellen Stodola EyeWorld Staff Writer in communities that they work in and if those issues are something that need to be discussed in all 3 services," Dr. Cason said. "I think we could collaborate on future research projects more and more because of training symposia like this." There are often similar recom- mendations and considerations among the different branches, Dr. Cason said. They are "much more alike than different"; however, there are special considerations for the Air Force. For example, currently there are no ICLs authorized at all. Dr. Cason stressed that this symposium was not only open to surgeons—there were technicians in attendance, and he said it was a great training opportunity for others in the practice. The referral network was also an important topic, as Dr. Cason said that in all 3 services combined, there are about 40,000 refractive proce- dures annually. "The sheer number of people being taken care of is extremely important," he said. "We want to be sure that every single per- son gets the same high quality care." It's also important to ensure patients are evaluated in the same way and that consistent, safe techniques are being used. "We're hoping to make this an annual thing," Dr. Cason said. It's important to get all key players to- gether at once to discuss issues that are relevant to refractive surgery. The 2015 meeting had just over 100 people in attendance, and Dr. Cason said they expect a similar meeting to take place sometime in June 2016. "It's a potential way for not just our organization but many others to get Ophthalmologists in 3 military services gather for training symposium F or ophthalmologists prac- ticing in the Armed Forc- es, there are a number of differences that they may experience from the surgeon working in a civilian hospital or in private practice. John Cason, MD, San Diego, discussed this at last summer's Military Refractive Safety and Standards Symposium (MRSSS), which was a combination training course among the Air Force, Army, and Navy. Dr. Cason spoke about the uniqueness and scope of the sympo- sium. "This was the first time that we've gotten all 3 services togeth- er for the purpose of a refractive surgery training symposium," he said. In the past, there have been a number of conferences, but these have become more difficult to con- duct because of the restrictions on government travel. The goal of the symposium was to maintain high safety standards and ensure good skills transfer, not just among the surgeons but also among optometrists, technicians, and managers, Dr. Cason said. The conference aimed to ensure there is an opportunity to discuss com- mon issues seen in the military, he said. Topics included safety issues, surgical outcomes, and optimizing processes to take care of the maxi- mum number of patients. Part of the meeting was a laser certification course, Dr. Cason said, which was largely attended by res- idents or those who may not have used a laser in awhile. The sympo- sium moved into a larger format with a focus on management of sur- gical complications, with speakers from the Air Force, Navy, and Army, including leaders in refractive sur- gery. Topics such as intraoperative complications, epithelial ingrowth, haze, and ICL complications were discussed. Additionally, the sym- posium had grand rounds presen- tations, invited talks, and research presentations. "Each service gave a presenta- tion on what's going on, what issues they're having with treating patients in an efficient manner, and which patients have specific requirements Military symposium highlights refractive topics Military Refractive Safety and Standards Symposium (MRSSS) participants. Civilians and military were represented from the Navy, Army, and Air Force from refractive centers worldwide. together and improve quality in our refractive outcomes," he said. EW Editors' note: The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. Contact information Cason: john.b.cason.mil@mail.mil

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