Eyeworld

Cornea Society News – published quarterly by the Cornea Society 2 President's Message Dear Cornea Society members, I look forward to seeing each of you at the 2017 American Academy of Oph- thalmology (AAO) annual meeting in New Orleans. We have some fabulous programs scheduled. The Cornea and Eye Banking Forum will take place on National Keratoconus Day on Friday, November 10, and the results of the Cornea Preservation Time Study will be presented. During our business meeting we will discuss the results of our long range plan that has been underway for the past 6 months. It will be a fantastic meeting, so do not miss it. As I sit here writing to you, we have just finished watching protests in Char- lottesville, Virginia. Hurricane Harvey just hit Texas, and a land mass the size of Lake Michigan is under water in and around Houston. North Korea has fired missiles over Japan. Disasters and situations we never imagined are happening all around us. Yet we continue to see patients every day, helping restore sight, solving external disease, and trans- planting corneas one layer at a time. In times like these our patients have heightened anxieties, many of which may result in physical or ophthalmic manifestations. Though we have each trained for years to be surgeons, to fix things, some of our most meaningful interactions have nothing to do with surgery. It may be listening to the recently widowed grandmother tell you about her spouse. It may be dealing with heightened complaints of dry eyes in an otherwise quiet, white eye. At times like these we are judged as much by our actions as our ability to manage change and uncertainty. I would like to share with you some of my tips for handling the stresses we all experience during these difficult times. 1) Be patient with your colleagues, patients, and family. Everyone reacts to stress differently. 2) Assume innocence. A true leader realizes there are two sides to every story, and there is no place for anger. 3) Get perspective before you make a decision. When someone is pushing you, simply reply, "If you need an answer now I can give it to you, but if you want my best answer, I will have to get back to you." 4) Remember you never achieve something in a vacuum; acknowledge those who made it happen. Everyone likes to be acknowledged and thanked. 5) Recognize the good—staff below you, administration above you, in the OR and office, with your peers, patients, children, spouse, and friends. We are all members of the Cornea Society dedicated to education and patient care. We teach each other, help each other, and find friends in each other. Together we can face disruption, disasters, and world conflict. We are dedicated to our families, our field, our patients, and each other. I look forward to continuing to work with each of you as we move our field forward. Marian Macsai, MD President, Cornea Society Marian Macsai, MD

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