Unlocking the Business of Refractive Cataract Surgery at ASCRS 2025

BRiCS Breakfast Symposium serves up strategies for boosting premium IOL adoption

Early risers at ASCRS 2025 in Los Angeles gathered for the BRiCS Breakfast Symposium, a lively kickoff to Refractive Day and a preview of the Business of Refractive Cataract Surgery (BRiCS) Summit.

Moderated by Dr. Vance Thompson (USA), the session gave attendees a hands-on preview of how business acumen and clinical excellence can come together to drive success in refractive cataract surgery.

The session was a rallying cry for practices to rethink how they deliver and discuss advanced-technology IOLs. From better patient education to refined internal processes, the symposium emphasized that practices that match operational strategy with surgical innovation are positioning themselves for growth in a changing healthcare economy.

Bridging the gap between demand and delivery

The opening remarks, led by Dr. Vance Thompson, framed the discussion around an increasingly urgent problem: the mismatch between patients who want advanced implants and those who actually receive them. Despite half of patients expressing interest in presbyopia-correcting IOLs, U.S. adoption rates hover around just 11.2%.

“This gap between patients wanting advanced implants and patients getting advanced implants is one of the main things that the BRiCS Summit hopes to close,” Dr. Thompson emphasized.

Faculty also spotlighted the declining economics of cataract surgery, where surgeon reimbursement has dropped by 38% over the past decade. In response, BRiCS aims to equip practices with not only clinical insights but also business resources, like templated patient forms, financial counseling scripts and workflow redesign tools.

The upcoming 2025 BRiCS Summit, scheduled for October 4–5 at the Westin in Chicago, promises deeper dives into strategies that helped practices achieve premium IOL adoption rates ranging from 40% to 90%.

Refractive cataract surgery is a team sport

After the warm-up act, Deborah Davis (USA), CEO of Atwal Eye Care (New York, United States), brought the conversation down to the practice floor. She reinforced that building a strong refractive program isn’t just about surgeons, it requires educating the entire staff.

“Traditional cataract surgery does not ensure financial stability for ophthalmology practices any longer,” Ms. Davis explained. “Patients are looking for enhanced vision, and they’re really interested in the most advanced technology available.”

She credited BRiCS with providing her team with practical tools they could implement immediately, including role-playing exercises, customizable patient education templates and a vast resource library.

Alumni video commentary from Dr. Ruhi Soni (USA) echoed the same sentiment: successful practices don’t reinvent the wheel, they adapt proven models to their own settings.

Shaping patient expectations through education

Dr. Richard Tipperman (USA) shifted focus to a deceptively simple but powerful concept: language matters.

“Everyone has to call these lenses the same,” he stressed. Calling monofocal IOLs “standard” or “routine” subtly nudges patients toward default choices. His team instead uses “basic lens” for monofocals and reserves “advanced technology lens” for presbyopia-correcting options—a small but crucial shift.

Dr. Tipperman emphasized that surgeons shouldn’t think of this as “selling,” but rather as “educating.” Every point of contact, whether it’s the technician, front desk or surgeon, becomes an opportunity to reinforce clear, positive messaging.

Alumni Dr. Helen Moreira (USA) and Brittany Pulley (USA) shared how this patient-first language approach helped their practices streamline communication and boost conversion rates.

Tailoring the technology to the patient

Advanced-technology IOLs aren’t one-size-fits-all, and Dr. Dagny Zhu (USA) outlined why careful customization is critical.

About 90% of her patients now receive some form of premium IOL, she shared, thanks to a comprehensive, upfront discussion of visual needs, lifestyle habits and ocular surface health. Her presentation walked through the evolution of presbyopia-correcting lenses—from early multifocals to today’s diverse menu of extended-depth-of-focus (EDOF), non-diffractive and adjustable options.

“We’re not upselling,” Dr. Zhu emphasized. “We’re matching the best IOL to each patient.”

She also addressed the practical realities of choosing among modern IOLs, highlighting differences in material, design and indication based on corneal topography and patient goals. “We’ve developed a reputation for offering spectacle independence to every patient that walks through the door,” said Dr. Zhu.

A follow-up video featuring Dr. Steven Donnelly (USA) and Ashley Forbes (USA) echoed a core BRiCS theme, that successful adoption hinges on teamwork between clinical and administrative leaders.

Making implementation stick

Jaime Johannesen (USA), Clinic Manager at Vance Thompson Vision, tackled what might be the toughest part of practice transformation: follow-through.

“The whole point of this course was to bring not only the surgeons or the business person, so that when you leave, you could implement everything you learned,” she said.

Ms. Johannesen outlined BRiCS’ year-round support network, including a private LinkedIn group, live webinars and one-on-one coaching calls. She emphasized that the real strength lies in the decades of experience embedded into the shared resource library—ready to be downloaded, customized and applied immediately.

During the panel discussion, Dr. Richard Tipperman and Dr. Dagny Zhu reinforced that successful change doesn’t happen all at once. Breaking improvements down into small, achievable steps, like simply hosting a weekly 15-minute team huddle, can build long-term growth.

Alumni insights show BRiCS strategies in action

The final segment featured alumni who translated BRiCS strategies into real-world action.

Dr. Mina Farahani from Spindel Eye Associates (New Hampshire, United States) shared how she turned ideas into results by hosting a full-staff workshop just days after attending BRiCS, generating action items across multiple time frames. “There aren’t a lot of meetings that you go to that you get an action list like that of things you can implement right away, your first week out,” she said.

Other alumni highlighted patient-centered improvements such as acts of kindness programs, enhanced pre-visit education, and new internal referral campaigns—all driven by BRiCS playbooks.

As the session closed, faculty reinforced that whether practices were high-volume, boutique, private or corporate-affiliated, the core principles of patient education, internal consistency and strategic growth applied across the board.

Building a stronger future for refractive cataract surgery

The BRiCS Breakfast Symposium at ASCRS 2025 offered a practical roadmap for practices ready to level up their refractive cataract surgery offerings. While the session leaned promotional at times, it zoomed in on the reality that boosting ATIOL adoption depends on pairing surgical excellence with business savvy.

From new patient communication strategies to in-depth IOL selection workshops, the emphasis was on creating replicable, team-based systems that support higher adoption of advanced-technology IOLs.

Speakers highlighted real-world gains, like boosted premium conversion rates and stronger patient satisfaction, that are made possible through targeted education, operational refinements and a relentless focus on the patient journey.

And for those hungry for more, the BRiCS Summit promises new opportunities to tap into proven strategies, along with a growing network of peers eager to share what works.

READ MORE: Follow our ASCRS 2025 coverage for daily highlights and key moments.

Editor’s Note: Reporting for this story took place during the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS 2025) being held from 25-28 April in Los Angeles, California, United States.