ASCRS/ASOA annual meeting setting sail to San Diego

The 2019 combined annual meetings of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) and the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators (ASOA) will be held May 3 to 7 in San Diego.

The event is billed by organizers as the largest U.S. meeting dedicated to the needs of anterior segment surgeons, practice management staff, and ophthalmic technicians and nurses.
ASCRS and ASOA promise the event will deliver practical information that attendees at all stages of their careers can apply immediately in their practice through a variety of learning experiences, from innovative symposia and paper presentations to practical instructional courses and hands-on skills transfer labs.
Attendees can enjoy industry-related government relations briefings, an exhibit hall featuring more than 300 exhibitors, and networking opportunities.
They can earn up to 38 CME credits during the regular ASCRS meeting and another 7.5 by attending a of of the pre-meeting subspecialty days.

What's new
New this year are the “Meet the Experts” roundtables, giving attendees an opportunity to meet with experts in an informal setting to discuss issues in cataract surgery, IOLs, refractive surgery, cornea, and glaucoma. The roundtables will be held from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Saturday. They are free but separate registration is required due to space.

Here is the planned lineup:

•  “Management of Dislocated IOLs” with Ashley R. Brissette, MD, MSc, and Richard Tipperman, MD

• “Treatment of Astigmatism in Cataract Surgery” with Yuri F. McKee, MD, MS, and Helga P. Sandoval, MD, MSc

• “Complex Cataract Management” with Garry P. Condon, MD, and Zachary J. Zavodni, MD

• “Intracameral Antibiotics” with Allister Gibbons, MD, and Neal H. Shorstein, MD

• “Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery in Complex Cases” featuring Nicole R. Fram, MD, and Mark A. Kontos, MD

• “Management of Subluxated Lenses” with Ehud I. Assia, MD, and Jeremy Z. Kieval, MD

• “Managing Complications During Cataract Surgery” with Gregory S. Ogawa, MD, and Abhay R. Vasavada, MS, FRCS

• “Complex IOL Calculations” with Sumitra S. Khandelwal, MD, and Douglas D. Koch, MD

• “Astigmatism Management” featuring Leela Raju, MD, and Nir Shoham-Hazon, MD

• “Biometry and IOL Calculations” by Bryan S. Lee, JD, MD, and Mitchell P. Weikert, MD, MS

• “Maximizing Patient Outcomes with Multifocal IOLs” with Jessica B. Ciralsky, MD, and Richard S. Davidson, MD

• “Presbyopic IOLs and Astigmatism Correction,” featuring Zaina Al-Mohtaseb, MD, and Karl G. Stonecipher, MD

• “Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) and Multifocal IOLs” with Optics, Surgical Planning: Daniel H. Chang, MD, and William F. Wiley, MD

• “The Yamane Technique,” Shin Yamane, MD, PhD

• “Managing Bacterial/Viral Blepharitis/Conjunctivitis/Keratitis,” Brandon J. Baartman, MD, and Francis S. Mah, MD

• “Keratoconus and Crosslinking,” with Kenneth A. Beckman, MD, and William B. Trattler, MD

• “Corneal Lumps and Bumps/Corneal Issues in Cataract Surgery” by Terry Kim, MD, and Amy Lin, MD

• “Ocular Disease Management Prior to Cataract and Refractive Surgery” with Alice T. Epitropoulos, MD, and Christopher E. Starr, MD

• “Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery-How to Pick the Right Tool for the Right Patient” with Jacob W. Brubaker, MD, and Manjool Shah, MD

• “Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery” with Reay H. Brown, MD, and Amy Zhang, MD

• “Stand-alone MIGS: What to Do When Meds Have Failed in the Younger Clear Lens or Older Pseudophakic Patient” with David A. Crandall, MD, and Steve R. Sarkisian, Jr., MD

• “Management of LASIK Complications” with Sarah M. Nehls, MD, and Roger Zaldivar, MD

• “LASIK, PRK, and SMILE Procedures” featuring Kathryn M. Hatch, MD, and George O. Waring, IV, MD

• “Retina Considerations for the Anterior Segment Surgeon” with David S. Boyer, MD, and William F. Mieler, MD

• “OCT Before Cataract Surgeries and Other Retina Considerations” with Steve Charles, MD

ASCRS Opening General Session
Saturday, 10 a.m.-noon
ASCRS President’s Remarks:
Nick Mamalis, MD, and the 2019 ASCRS David A. Karcher Honored Guests: W. Andrew Maxwell, MD, PhD, and Donald Serafano, MD
The award honors luminaries whose life-long clinical, research, or ophthalmic industry experience and accomplishments enable the recipient to offer a unique perspective on the current state of ophthalmology and the healing arts. In 2018, ASCRS renamed the award after longtime executive director, David A. Karcher.

ASCRS Foundation Update, Presentation of 2019 Chang Humanitarian Award
The Chang award, which is endowed by Dr. David F. Chang and his wife, Victoria, was created to celebrate and highlight outstanding humanitarian work in the area of cataract blindness. This year’s recipient is Richard L. Litwin, MD.

ASCRS Ophthalmology Hall of Fame Ceremony
The annual ceremony honors the distinguished careers of two inductees and their contributions to ophthalmology. This year’s honorees are Howard V. Gimbel, MD, MPH, and Phillips Thygeson, MD (deceased).

ASCRS Binkhorst Lecture
The Binkhorst Medal is awarded annually to a recipient whose contributions to ophthalmic science and practice have established him or her among the world’s most prominent ophthalmologists. This year, it will be given by Stephen Pflugfelder, MD. His topic will be “The Quest for Tear Stability.”

The Sunday Summit General Session
Sunday, 10 a.m.–noon
Part 1: “ASCRS Lecture on Science, Medicine and Technology”
This lecture was established by ASCRS as a forum for expanding and enriching ophthalmology’s appreciation of fields of science and medicine outside of ophthalmology. This year, it will be given by John Medina, PhD, who is a developmental molecular biologist, researcher, professor, and a New York Times bestselling author. He is an affiliate professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine and is the founding director of the Talaris Research Institute.Part 2: “ASCRS’ The Voice of Ophthal-mology Season 2”
Hosted by Edward J. Holland, MD, and featuring coaches such as Ike K. Ahmed, MD; John P. Berdahl, MD; Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, and Elizabeth Yeu, MD, the session will cover a variety of topics in anterior segment surgery.

ASCRS Innovators General Session

Monday, 10–11:30 a.m.
This session features the Charles D. Kelman MD, Innovator’s Lecture, to be given this year by Ronald M. Kurtz, MD. His topic will be “Collaborative Innovation.”

37th Film Festival Reception and Awards Ceremony
Monday, 4:45–6:45 p.m.
Film Festival winners will be announced at this event. A reception begins at 4:45 p.m. and the ceremony will begin at 5:15 p.m.

The Best of ASCRS 2019 General Session
Tuesday, 1–2:30 p.m.
This special wrap-up session will highlight some of the most important and interesting papers presented at this year’s annual meeting from among the “Best Paper of Session” winners.

ASCRS eyePAC Reception
Friday 7–9 p.m.
Contributors to ASCRS’ non-partisan political action committee, eyePAC, can attend its annual reception at the San Diego Zoo on Friday, from 7 to 9 p.m. It will be held at Sydney’s Grill, located within the Australian Outback/Urban Jungle section of the world-famous wildlife sanctuary. Shuttle transportation will be provided.

Welcome Party
Saturday, 4:30–6 p.m.
The ASCRS and ASOA Welcome Party will be held in the exhibit hall Saturday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. There will be music, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, and refreshments for attendees.

Race for Sight
6:30 a.m. start
Run along San Diego’s Harbor in the seventh annual ASCRS 5K Race for Sight, which will be held at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday. Registration fees ($35 plus handling fees) help fund humanitarian eye care through the ASCRS Foundation programs and partnerships. All participants will receive a technical running shirt and a finisher’s medal on race day. This event, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Vision, has raised more than $100,000 since its inception. To learn more, go to www.tracs.net/ascrs5k.

Symposia on schedule
Saturday, 1–2:30 p.m.

• “Refractive Cataract Surgery Essentials”

• “Lessons Learned-Challenging Cases and Complication Management”

• “Retina Essentials: Everything You Need to Know about Intravitreal Injections”

• “Keratoconus: Consensus and Controversy”

3–4:30 p.m.

• “From Learning to Leading: Gaining Clinical and Management Skills in Your First 10 Years of Practice”

• “Survive or Thrive in the Modern Healthcare Environment: Clinical Changes to Practice”

3–5 p.m.

• “Nailing the Best IOL Refractive Outcomes - Let the Experts Update You”

• “Management of Complicated Cases in Cataract and Refractive Surgery, presented in Spanish “

Sunday, 8–9:30 a.m.

• “Surgical Essentials: Getting You out of Trouble in Cataract Surgery”

• “MIGS: Talkin’ Bout a Revolution”

• “Cornea Essentials”

1–2:30 p.m.

• “Is This the End of Fee-for-Service?”

• “Mastering It All: Tips for Success from Successful Female Leaders”

• “Global Efforts in Addressing Avoidable Blindness and Models of Care/Training”

3–4:30 p.m.

• “The Winning Pitch Challenge”

• “Sweating Bullets: A New Competition”

• “The Complete Guide to Management of Astigmatism: Everything You Need to Know to Optimize Cornea and Lens-based Options”

• “Communicating and Evaluating Adverse Events Associated with an FDA-Approved Medical Device”

• “Symposium of Challenging Cases”

Monday, 8–9:30 a.m.

• “Challenging Cases in Cataract Surgery Video Symposium”

• “Crosslinking Essentials: When to, How to, What to Expect, and What to Avoid”

• “Glaucoma Essentials”

Highlights from the Military Refractive Surgery Safety & Standards Symposium held in January.

1–2:30 p.m.

• “Controversies in Anterior Segment Surgery”

• “EyeConnect Live: Anchorman Edition”

• “Managing the Unhappy Post-Refractive Patient”

3–4:30 p.m.

• ASCRS TOPGUN 2019: “Essential Pearls from the Best International Phaco Instructors”

• “The Perfect Save: Challenging Cases Managed by International Experts”

Tuesday, 8–9:30 a.m.

• Best of ASCRS-Presented in Spanish

10 a.m.–noon

• “X-Rounds: Refractive Cataract Surgery to the Max”

ASCRS Subspecialty Day

Get even more out of the annual meeting by attending ASCRS Subspecialty Day on Friday before the meeting officially starts. Each will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. One registration gets you admission to all three. Here are the options:
ASCRS Refractive Day, The Pursuit of Emmetropia: This program is an overview of recent advances in refractive surgery, providing innovative techniques and new surgical technologies that will help to improve your outcomes. This is sponsored by the ASCRS Refractive Clinical Committee.

ASCRS Glaucoma Day: This day promises to deliver cutting-edge guidance for expanding your glaucoma treatment options and improving patient outcomes. It is sponsored by the ASCRS Glaucoma Clinical Committee.

Cornea Day: This day includes panel discussions, case studies, debates, and surgical video reviews showcasing the latest innovations. It is sponsored by the ASCRS Cornea Clinical Committee and the Cornea Society.

Visit the Exhibit Hall: The Exhibit Hall is always a fun place to see the latest offerings from throughout the industry, and more than 300 companies will have booths. It will be open Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday and Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Be sure to visit Ophthalmology Times in booth 1604.

ASOA in spotlight

ASOA highlights include its Opening General Session on Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. Keynote speaker will be Brad Montgomery, who will speak on the topic “Embrace Your Awesomeness.”

Discover ways to achieve untapped productivity and accuracy while creating and sustaining positivity, optimism, and meaningfulness in others.

“Staying Power: Why Your Employees Leave & How to Keep Them Longer” will be part of Sunday’s General Session, from 8:30 to 10 a.m.
The Keynote speaker will be Cara Silletto, MBA, who will share insight on why staffing is so challenging today and how to gain greater staffing stability.

The 2020 ASCRS and ASOA annual meeting will be held May 15 to 19 in Boston.