Chicago awaits ASCRS attendees

Chicago-The annual American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Symposium on Cataract, IOL, and Refractive Surgery will be held here Friday, April 20, to Tuesday, April 24.

The event kicks off Friday with two daylong subspecialty events. Both require separate registration. They are:

ASCRS Glaucoma Day: This event, titled "Pressure Is Important-But Don't Lose Sight of the Vision! Glaucoma Treatment in a Cataract and Refractive Context," promises critical updates, robust debates, and interactive case studies on what comprehensive ophthalmologists and anterior segment surgeons need to know about glaucoma. This event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Program Committee consists of Thomas W. Samuelson, MD, Chair; Garry P. Condon, MD; Herbert P. Fechter, MD; Douglas J. Rhee, MD; Steven R. Sarkisian Jr., MD; and Barbara A. Smit, MD, PhD.

Cornea Day 2011: Sponsored by the ASCRS Cornea Clinical Committee and The Cornea Society, this symposium will provide an overview of corneal transplantation, corneal issues in cataract and refractive surgery, and infectious and inflammatory disease as well as innovations in medical and surgical cornea. The program will feature lectures, debates, panel discussions, and surgical video reviews.

The Cornea Day attendee fee ($355 for practicing ophthalmologists) includes breakfast, lunch, refreshments breaks, and admission to all educational sessions and the joint ASCRS Glaucoma Day/Cornea Day exhibit hall. It will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Cornea Day Planning Committee consists of Donald Tan, FRCS, Co-Chair; Terry Kim, MD, Co-Chair; Anthony Aldave, MD; W. Barry Lee, MD; Marian Macsai, MD; Francis S. Mah, MD; Neda Shamie, MD; and David T. Vroman, MD.

Also on Friday, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., will be the ASCRS eyePAC Reception at the Art Institute of Chicago. Separate registration is required. This event is a fundraiser for ASCRS' voluntary, non-partisan Political Action Committee.

Saturday

The ASCRS Opening General Session will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday. It will feature the Presidents' Addresses, the ASCRS Foundation Update, and the opening of the annual ASCRS Ophthalmology Hall of Fame.

The annual Binkhorst Lecture will be given by Randall J. Olson, MD. His topic will be "Where Are We On the Road to Optical Perfection?" This lecture will examine those aspects of visual quality that most affect patient satisfaction after cataract surgery, what is the current state of the art, and what looks promising for the future.

The session also will feature the 2012 Honored Guests. John J. Darin, MD, and Bo T. Philipson, MD, will be honored for their contributions to ophthalmology. Dr. Darin, of Westlake Village, CA, has taught lens implant surgery to surgeons in throughout the world through Surgical Eye Expeditions International. Dr. Philipson is one of the most prominent anterior segment surgeons in Sweden.

Symposia set for Saturday include:

Pseudoexfoliation from A-Z, at 1 p.m.

Retinal Pharmacotherapy for the Anterior Segment Surgeon: What's New in 2012, at 3 p.m.

Management of Complicated Cases in Cataract and Refractive Surgery (Presented in Spanish), at 3 p.m.

Also on Saturday will be the ASCRS Resident and Fellow Day from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the Exhibit Hall Grand Opening at 9 a.m.