EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/87458
44 EW AAO PREVIEW October 2012 November 10-13, 2012 Bringing IOL information to the refractive surgeon by Michelle Dalton EyeWorld Contributing Writer This year's Refractive Subspecialty Day will concentrate on increasing the refractive surgeon's awareness of cataract surgery issues R efractive surgeons looking to expand their knowledge of both cataract and re- fractive surgery should not miss "Refractive Surgery 2012: the Era of Lasers and Lenses," the annual subspecialty day meeting sponsored by the International Soci- ety of Refractive Surgery and held over the course of 2 days before the official opening of the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting. (This year, Refractive Sub- specialty Day will be held on Friday, Nov. 9 and Saturday, Nov. 10.) "This year we really are trying to work with the knowledge that IOLs are an increasingly important part of refractive surgery, and the fact that when you do cataract surgery, patients now consider the refractive aspects of the surgery in many ways. So without experience in corneal refractive surgery, you will be at a significant disadvantage in offering cataract surgery to your patients," said David R. Hardten, M.D., Min- neapolis, co-chair of the program. "Lenses are also more important than they've ever been to people doing corneal refractive surgery." Of the 10 sections being offered this year, more than half involve the lens and/or cataract techniques, he said. "The point-counterpoint ses- sions will continue to emphasize the fact that there isn't just one way to approach topics, and we've chosen some that still give docs pause when choosing between procedures or approaches for patients in certain situations," Dr. Hardten said. While Refractive Subspecialty Day has always had a point-counterpoint session, "the selection of topics this year is a little more pointed," he said. For example, two leading physi- cians will discuss the pros and cons of corneal inlays vs. lasers for pres- byopia correction, while another two will discuss the advantages of excluding dry eye patients from laser procedures vs. using selective laser procedures in the dry eye patient population. "Obviously in medicine there's no one definitive answer," he said. "We put the point-counterpoint early in the program because it's an extremely important and exciting way to start the program." Knowing people do not subscribe to the same treatment regimen will "keep people on their toes in this session," he said. Another highlight for attendees is likely to be the "Break with the Experts" on Friday. "We wanted to select topics that are especially at- tractive for small group discussions, and we've fielded the 11 discussion topics with 25 experts," Dr. Hardten said. "It's an opportunity to take detailed questions to the experts in a casual format." Personally, Dr. Hardten said that while he's looking forward to all of the presentations during the subspe- cialty day, "it's not the full refractive offerings the meeting has," he said. "Doctors whose appetites are whetted over our first 2 days have a plethora of courses and didactic courses from which to choose." Last year, the committee "made a big leap from just cornea to in- clude the lens as well," Dr. Hardten said, and the group made a con- scious decision to concentrate on the lens this year as well. Over the 2 days, Friday concentrates more on the cornea, while Saturday concen- trates more on the lens. "Refractive surgery is now to- tally tied into cataract surgery," he said. "Some think cataract surgery means getting rid of a hazy lens and wearing glasses, but most of us now are interested in the refractive out- comes as well." From the patient's perspective, there's a "very subtle" difference as cataract patients are increasingly concerned with refrac- tive outcomes and may not be as amenable to spectacles as they once were, he said. "I think the whole Friday/Satur- day Refractive Subspecialty Day will be great," Dr. Hardten said, "and if I were new to the meeting, I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to hear cutting-edge research presented at the free paper sessions on Friday or the afternoon sessions on the foundations of refractive surgery." EW Editors' note: Dr. Hardten has no financial interests related to this article. Contact information Hardten: 612-813-3631, drhardten@mneye.com Getting the latest on glaucoma by Vanessa Caceres EyeWorld Contributing Writer AAO Glaucoma Subspecialty Day reveals latest pearls and practical information AAO's continued from page 43 Editors' note: Dr. Lane has financial interests with Abbott Medical Optics (AMO, Santa Ana, Calif.), Alcon (Fort Worth Texas), and Bausch + Lomb (Rochester, N.Y.), among other ophthalmic companies. Dr. Steinert has financial interests with AMO, OptiMedica, and ReVision Optics (Lake Forest, Calif.), among other ophthalmic companies. Contact information Lane: 651-275-3000, sslane@associatedeyecare.com Steinert: 949-824-8089, steinert@uci.edu A ttendees at this year's AAO Glaucoma Subspe- cialty Day in Chicago will be able to walk away with tools and pearls they can take back to their practices, said program organizers and moderators. This year's Glaucoma Subspe- cialty Day should also be more interactive than in years past, said Wallace L.M. Alward, M.D., Freder- ick C. Blodi Chair in Ophthalmol- ogy, and director, Glaucoma Service, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City. Attendees will be able to text in questions and use an audience re- sponse measurement system, both moves to encourage more interactiv- ity, said Dr. Alward, one of this year's program organizers. "By allowing people to vote, attendees can take away more from the sessions," Dr. Alward said. Program organizers noted that atten- dees in previous years often com- mented on how much they learn from panel discussions, which is what led to the increased focus on discussion and audience response. "We will be featuring recent ad- vances in micro-incisional glaucoma surgery as well as advances in more traditional glaucoma surgery," said fellow program organizer Thomas W. Samuelson, M.D., attending surgeon, glaucoma and anterior segment surgery, Minnesota Eye Consultants, Minneapolis. "Com- mon clinical dilemmas will be pre- sented and management decisions debated with real-time audience feedback." continued on page 47