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3 EW NEWS & OPINION February 2016 by Liz Hillman EyeWorld Staff Writer in a video program with 4 events: Cataract Pentathlon, Cataract Mar- athon, Cataract IOL Gymnastics, and Freestyle Cataract Surgery. An international panel of 4 judges will score the contestants' presentations with the audience voting for the overall winners. "The information is going to be outstanding with a little different flare," Dr. Holland said. In addition to the "2016 Cata- ract Surgery Olympics" symposium, other new symposia will include an ectasia prevention and management symposium and an integrated prac- tice symposium. Tech Talks A new feature for technicians, nurses, and ophthalmic photogra- phers called "Tech Talks" on May 6 will lead the Technicians & Nurses Program, which runs from May 7–9. Tech Talks is a forum that will feature 16 10-minute presentations. In past years, technicians and nurses have not been given the opportunity to present in this fashion. "It's kind of a cyclical thing," he said. "Many years ago, posters and the section where posters were placed was a very exciting way of presenting information. A group of individuals could look at posters together and speak with the author; it was an informal way of reviewing content. "More recently, especially with younger ophthalmologists, posters have had a rebirth, if you will. Some people are choosing poster over pa- per, which is very unusual compared to many years ago," Dr. Holland said. "[This year, the poster area] is more convenient for the presenters and attendees and is designed to create some excitement." 2016 Cataract Surgery Olympics Who says one can't learn while also having a little competitive fun? In honor of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, 4 regional inter- national teams will compete in the "2016 Cataract Surgery Olympics" at the annual meeting. Teams from North America, Europe/Middle East, Latin Amer- ica, and Asia-Pacific will compete During the week, panelists from each individual paper session will choose what they felt was the best paper of session. From there, the faculty hosting the "Best of ASCRS 2016" will review and select the papers they found most interesting from this bunch in several categories with up to 25 featured in what Ms. Berry called a "capstone event" that "presents some of the best papers of session." "Best of ASCRS 2016"—in past years called "Hot Off the Press"— will occur in an early afternoon time slot on Tuesday, May 10 at 1:00 p.m. Poster Pavilion Outside the general session rooms, attendees will find a feature new to this year's annual meeting: the Poster Pavilion. Dozens of kiosks will be avail- able for attendees to review electron- ic poster presentations and films. What's more, the Poster Pavilion area will feature 5 poster presenta- tions, 1 of which will be presented by residents and fellows. Dr. Holland said that poster pre- sentations are making a comeback. From a new Poster Pavilion to Cataract Surgery Olympics, here's what you can expect at the 2016 annual meeting M ardi Gras might be over, but a major ophthalmic event will soon jazz the city of New Orleans in early May when the ASCRS•ASOA Sympo- sium & Congress comes to town. In its fourth decade of hosting this meeting, it's safe to say some things have changed at the ASCRS• ASOA Symposium & Congress, and this year's May 6–10 event is no exception. Each year, the ASCRS Program Committee reviews evaluations from attendees of the prior meeting, looks at the findings of the latest ASCRS Clinical Survey, and consults with Clinical Committees to identify any changes or areas of need that would benefit participants, said Deborah Berry, ASCRS director of clinical education. "We are looking for continuous improvement to meet the needs of our members and our attendees," she said. "I think everyone wants good education in a meeting but they also find presentations in the same style can get a bit stale," said Edward Holland, MD, ASCRS Program Committee chair. "I think having new and different meeting formats keeps the attendees attentive and avoids monotony. What we try to do is change the way we package the information to keep our attendees interested. … We look for new and creative ideas." Here are some of the new fea- tures attendees have to look forward to at the 2016 ASCRS•ASOA Sympo- sium & Congress. Best of ASCRS 2016 With more than 700 papers being presented in about 60 paper ses- sions, it would be impossible for attendees to take them all in, which is why program organizers created a session that pulls them into one wrap-up event, showcasing some of the "most important and interest- ing papers," as the session abstract describes it. New and notable features at the upcoming ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress continued on page 4 The 2016 ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress will be held in New Orleans from May 6–10.

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