Eyeworld

EW MEETING REPORTER 68 May 2018 Reporting from the 2018 ASCRS•ASOA Annual Meeting, April 13–17, 2018, Washington, D.C. addition to the Annual Meeting, there are regional conferences, YES meetings, webinars, podcasts, and more. ASCRS offers a wealth of op- tions, she said. Dr. Henderson offered a final challenge. "Join me to strive to evolve," she said. Rather than being complicit in the current state of medicine, she encouraged attendees to push the limits. "I hope together we'll succeed in leading ophthalmol- ogy into the next chapter," she said. Thomas Samuelson, MD, Minneapolis, incoming ASCRS pres- ident, gave his address, saying he is honored to be the 33rd president of ASCRS. His goal is to change percep- tions. As a fellowship trained glauco- ma specialist, Dr. Samuelson said he can attest that ASCRS is not just for high volume cataract surgeons. Dr. Samuelson noted that early in his career, he didn't attend the ASCRS meeting. He soon realized that this was "the meeting to attend if your goal is to excel in anterior segment surgery." Dr. Samuelson added that he has experienced how the bound- aries between anterior segment surgery have become blurred. "All surgeons have a place at the table in ASCRS," he said, adding that he thinks the glaucoma subspecialty has benefited immensely. Before concluding, a special recognition was held for David David Karcher's contributions to ASCRS acknowledged at Opening General Session The Annual Meeting officially opened on Saturday with the ASCRS Opening General Session. It be- gan with a welcome from Edward Holland, MD, Cincinnati, ASCRS program chair. He welcomed at- tendees to the 44th ASCRS meeting, which has more than 7,000 attend- ees from more than 100 countries. Dr. Holland spoke about offerings at this year's meeting, noting the cre- ation of the Essentials track based on meeting evaluations from attendees. During the "In memoriam," a special tribute was held for Roger Steinert, MD. Dr. Holland spoke about Dr. Steinert's contribution to the profession of ophthalmology and his great humility. He "was a friend to all who knew him," Dr. Holland said. Bonnie Henderson, MD, Boston, outgoing ASCRS president, addressed attendees, reflecting on the past year. "Our organization is the most vocal advocate for anterior segment surgeons when it's the most important," she said. Dr. Henderson mentioned efforts in guidelines for medical practice and legislative efforts. "We can't forget that ASCRS is the primary source of education for all anterior segment ophthal- mologists," Dr. Henderson said. In the president, what's actually hap- pening in Washington and around the country, and how people feel. Ms. Walter discussed how Congress and President Trump are doing after being in office for more than a year. She noted the Repub- lican Congress has not done well and Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) recent announcement of his decision to not run for reelection. It's fair to say that this party was moving in the di- rection of Donald Trump long before he got here, she said. Many of those who have come into Congress are people who have never been in the party of the ma- jority before, and they are good at being contrarian but not as good at being in the "party of yes," Ms. Wal- ter continued. Congress is controlled by Republicans, but they haven't been able to pass much meaningful legislation, she said, adding that they've passed a tax cut bill but not much more. The judiciary has been a bright spot for Republicans, Ms. Walter said, and they are making sure they get as many circuit court and lower court judges through the nomi- nating process and appointed as pos- sible. "They have an opportunity to put a stamp not just on the Supreme Court but on the lower courts as well," she said. The people getting appointed are young and have a lot of life ahead of them to be impact- ing policy long after Donald Trump. The most important test for President Trump will be the mid- terms, Ms. Walter said. Historically, the party that holds the White House, in most midterm elections since the end of the Civil War, has lost seats in the House of Represen- tatives and in the Senate. "The odds are good that when you're holding the White House, you're going to lose seats, but the question is how badly," she said. Ms. Walter added that the president's overall approval rating has a strong correlation with how the party does in an election. If the president has about a 50% ap- proval rating, the party loses around 40 seats in the House and five in the Senate, she said. View videos from ASCRS•ASOA 2018: EWrePlay.org Richard Tipperman, MD, discusses a case with simple surgery and complex decision-making. Sponsored by

• Blank Page
• Blank Page (1)