EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/82503
30 EW NEWS & OPINION Keeping continued from page 28 at risk for an epidemic of endoph- thalmitis in the near future," he said. Dr. Donnenfeld said he hopes that the government can be per- suaded that antibiotics are a vital part of care for cataract patients. "Even though it's an off-label indica- tion, it's one that should be consid- ered important for all of our patients," he said. EW Editors' note: Dr. Donnenfeld has financial interests with Alcon, Allergan, and B+L. Dr. Packer has financial interests with Allergan and B+L. Contact information Donnenfeld: 516-766-2519, eddoph@aol.com Packer: 541-687-2110, mpacker@finemd.com September 2012 A call continued from page 29 from the present law, as it is sched- uled to take effect in 2015. We have some support from both Republi- cans and Democrats, but we still lack a majority of supporters in the Senate, so the fight continues. Dr. Chang: With whom did you meet on Capitol Hill? Th e power of one Dr. Yeh: In the afternoons, I met with the staff of Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). His staff is passionately en- thusiastic about the Affordable Care Act and nothing would enlighten them to its weaknesses. I also had the distinct pleasure of meeting the staff of Senator Mark Kirk (R) (who is doing well and recovering coura- geously from his stroke in rehab). They state that the Senator is fully in support of us in our fight against IPAB and our fight for malpractice reform. I also had the tremendous pleasure of meeting with my representative Congressman Aaron Schock (R) in person, and he was very attentive and supportive to our cause. Representative Schock is the son of a doctor, and his 62-year-old father recently took early retirement this year because of all of the bur- dens government has placed upon him and on all of us. I am happy to report that we have two great friends in Senator Kirk and Representative Schock, and I am proud to be their constituent. I also met with the staff of Sen. Randy Hultgren (R) from northern Illinois and Representative Erik Paulsen (R) from Minnesota who was very kind and highly supportive of the issues of ophthalmologists. Dr. Chang: Why is this a critical time for physician advocacy? THE ONE F THE ONE FEMTO PLATFORM for cornea, presbyopia and cataract. Presenting the unparalleled Ziemer FEMTO LDV Z Models – THE ONE FEMTO PLAATTFOR M or cornea, esb opia and catar a technical revolution in ocular surgery. No laser is more precise, more powerful or more progressive when it comes to meeting all your procedural needs in a single platform. With Ziemer's FEMTO LDV Z Models, now you can operate with a modular femtosecond system that is easy to configure, designed to grow with your practice – cornea and presbyopia today, cataract tomorrow and presbyopia today, cataract tomorrow. www.ziemergr oup.com Dr. Yeh: I learned that this upcom- ing November election may be criti- cal to the survival of medicine as we know it. We need to keep a majority of friends in the House of Represen- tatives, and we need to put a major- ity of our friends into the Senate. I urge everyone, even those of us who abhor politics, to get involved, especially in the states where Senate seats are up for election. Remember, we have friends in both parties, so it is critical to approach the candidates and find out what their positions are on our important issues: IPAB repeal, SGR, malpractice reform, quality reporting, etc. If a candidate is an incumbent, you may wish to ask the Government Relations Committee to check out his voting record on key issues. Please email ASCRS• ASOA government relations director Nancey McCann at nmccann@ASCRS.org for more information and to find out how you can be of help. We need every- one to pitch in. This is our country and our future at stake. If we do not act, we have no one to blame but ourselves. continued on page 32 The Ziemer FEMTO LDV Z Models are FDA cleared and CE marked and available for immediate delivery. For some countries, availabil for immediate delivery. For some countries, availability may be restrictedity may be restricted due to local regulatory requirements; please contact due to local regulatory requirements; please contact Ziemer for details. Ziemer for details. The creation of a corneal pocket The creation of a corneal pocket is is part of a presbyopia intervention. Availability of related corneal inlays and implants according to policy of the individual ma nufacturers and regulatory status in the individual countries. Cataract procedures with the FEMTO LDV Z2, Z4 and Z6 models are not cleared in the United States and in all other countries. An upgrade possibility for these devices is planned once cataract options are available and cleared by the responsible regulatory bodies. and implants according to policy of the individual manufacturers and regulatory status in the individual countries. Cataract procedures with the FEMTO LDV Z2, Z4 and Z6 models are not cleared r these devices is planned once cataract options are available and cleared by the responsible regulatory bodies.