Cataracts beware, as even coronavirus can’t stop ophthalmologists from gathering to find new ways to improve patient treatment and care. Global lockdowns and social distancing rules are still in effect — therefore, ophthalmology moves online. The annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS 2020) is fully virtual this year.
Delegates from around the world checked in on the first day of the ASCRS virtual meeting to enjoy a wide array of ophthalmological topics. The usual fare of sessions on improving treatment like keratorefractive surgery and refractive procedures were all present, as were seminars on more current topics. The organizers have also clearly worked hard to include as many ‘real world’ features as one would usually expect at any ophthalmic conference.
Networking is facilitated by a meet and greet system within the conference where attendee profiles — including their background and professional affiliations, among others — are listed. Users are able to indicate their desire to interact with another individual or schedule an online meeting directly. Online networking tools are nothing new, but in light of current events the time and effort ASCRS has invested into this section is welcome.
Opening the conference, the chair of ASCRS’s program committee Dr. Edward Holland said he recognized that holding the conference online was far from ideal. However Dr. Holland added that the virtual meeting would add tremendous value to ophthalmology. He also extended his thanks to front-line medical staff battling coronavirus and expressed hope in the resilience of ophthalmology.
Coronavirus will cause permanent changes in ophthalmology
Unsurprisingly, coronavirus took center stage during the opening stages of the conference. Pointing out that 20-30% of patients with coronavirus are asymptomatic, Dr. Francis S. Mah examined the efficacy of prevention methods and correct mask usage in the special session Turning the Lights Back On: Part 1. Dr. Mah called for an approach based on the following phrase; “My mask protects you and your mask protects me,” to counter public concern about masks.
The power of coronavirus to affect permanent change in the ophthalmology industry was also discussed. During the Nailing Refractive Outcomes in Cataract Surgery symposium, Dr. Rolando Toyes reported that Americans are expecting America 2.0 after the pandemic passes — in his words, a more efficient system utilizing technology across all economic sectors.
Dr. Toyes believes patients will want less contact and more efficiency, yet more access to doctors. The solution is to adopt what he described as a FedEx style delivery system focused on efficiency and quick turnarounds. In particular, Dr. Toyes praised the IOLMaster 700 (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Jena, Germany) for its facilitation of this process, with up to a 73% reduction in processing time compared with its nearest competitor.
Bright sides (?) of the coronavirus
Dr. Thomas Harvey was already experiencing difficulty before the coronavirus hit. A catastrophic fire ripped through his practice in Wisconsin (United States) last year causing $5 million in damages. Dr. Harvey’s clinic reopened after the fire in January 2020, but was forced to shut down in March as he was not insured for pandemics.
His difficulties were reported during the COVID Crashed My Life…How to Survive and Revive symposium. Dr. Harvey was able to weather the storm thanks in part to not holding any debt on his practice. The other panellists of the symposium agreed that debt level will likely determine the fates of many practices.
During the same symposium Dr. Manjool Shah said the pandemic was an opportunity to get back to the basics and practice core skills. Several of the panelists agreed, and Dr. Naveen K. Rao reported that his ability to teach his students had improved thanks to the uptake in telemedicine during the pandemic. Students are increasingly receiving more one on one tutelage, something the panelists all agreed to be a positive.
Posters still take pride of place
Ophthalmologists will be aware of sport’s role as a common cause of eye injury but just how dangerous can basketball be to our eyes in particular? That was the question investigated by a group of researchers led by Dr. Jonathan Go. Their e-poster, Eye Injuries in the National Basketball Association, analyzed eye injuries over a six-month period involving over 1,200 games, finding corneal abrasions (6) to be the most common injury, followed by orbital contusions (3) and lid lacerations (2).
According to the researcher’s conclusions each injury caused a loss of $2,317,755 in productivity, 0.85 wins, and 18 missed games. That’s remarkable damage for what is ostensibly a non-contact sport, made all the more concerning by the fact that 82.4% of players did not wear eye protection when returning to play. Dr. Go and colleagues believe updated return-to-play guidance may be warranted as would improved follow-ups.
One of coronaivrus’s silver linings is a noticeable drop in carbon emissions as travel and other emission heavy industries shutter down. Circumstances have made the timing of Dr. Madhu Uddaraju’s e-poster Carbon Footprint of Cataract Surgery – Are We Missing a Wake up Call? prescient.
The study examined 10,342 cataract surgeries over one calendar year and the waste produced as a result. Dr. Uddaraju reports that each phacoemulsification generated on average 375 grams of waste (9kg CO2 Eq), and each SICS generated 150 grams of waste (3.2kg CO2 Eq). The cumulative total was 2.24 tons resulting in 55.3 tons CO2 Eq in a single year.
Dr. Uddaraju argues that as cataract surgery is one of the most common medical procedures, the industry should consider the impact it is having on global emissions. We wonder whether ophthalmology’s impact on climate change will become a more pressing concern in years to come, especially as the coronavirus related drop in emissions offers a moment of collective pause.
The inescapable fact that coronavirus has forced a halt to our lives was acknowledged by many of the conference’s participants. So too was ophthalmology’s resilience as an industry and the community spirit enjoyed by its participants. Overall, optimism was the tone of ASCRS Virtual Meeting’s first day, one that bodes well for its second day.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Be sure to check out CAKE magazine’s all-digital show daily for ASCRS — packed with info and insights!
