Viewpoint

FROM THE CHIEF MEDICAL EDITOR

Larry E. Patterson, MD

Gastronomy, academia and AAO

It's that time of year once again for the annual AAO meeting, an occasion for me to wax eloquent on the hot topics related to this massive gathering of ophthalmologists from all over the world. I'm going to break it down to two issues that are close to my heart.

The first issue is actually closer to my stomach. It's probably way too late, but I'm asking, begging, pleading with all breakfast event organizers to please add some real food to the meals. Too many times the breakfast buffet consists of jelly pastries, juices, muffins, and bagels. To put it another way, nothing but highly processed carbohydrates, with a few unhealthy fats thrown in. No matter how much you eat, those carbs jolt your insulin levels to record highs, and your elevated blood sugar then crashes, leaving you feeling like crap around 9 o'clock, since the breakfast started at 6 a.m.

What do I really want? I need eggs, guys, and preferably the kind that come from a shell, not a box. I'm not insisting on organic or anything fancy. Just the cheap, two bucks a dozen type will do. Healthy protein and fats, along with some semblance of veggies would go a long way towards keeping this EyeMD awake later during the multitude of riveting sessions at the meeting.

In this issue Ruth Frechman, a registered dietician nutritionist, discusses nutrition and ocular health. We should be educating our patients on the value of a nutrient-rich diet, and how that can positively affect our eye health. It's hypocritical if the meals at our own meetings are full of sugary processed food rivaled in nutritional value only by the typical trick-or-treater's Halloween haul.

Secondly, a note on academia. Now, I love academia. (Them are the people who learnt me my education.) I think it's great that our large universities and clinics around the world not only contribute to clinical education, but to research breakthroughs with the hope of new treatments and cures for so many diseases.

What I don't understand is the need by so many institutions to spend massive amounts of money each year to tell me how great they are. I am bombarded year-round by multi-page, multicolor slick advertorials telling me how they've invented a whole new way to do cataract surgery, LASIK, glaucoma, etc. And that they (unlike all the others saying the exact same thing) are THE leaders in, well, pretty much everything.

They are consistently named one of the nation's best in ophthalmology by U.S. News and Report. They are trusted. They achieve many accolades and awards. They often show me insightful photographs of their doctors, standing or sitting in a wistful pose, arms crossed or the hand supporting the chin, letting me know that they are on the verge of creating the next new super-antibiotic. They also sponsor their local Little League teams.

Look, I don't know how to break it to you any other way. While we do appreciate the good work you do, we really don't read these things. I get a hundred a year, and except for research for this article, they mostly go straight into the trash. So save your money, and invest it in research, or resident's salaries.

Or, just plow it into better quality breakfasts. OM