ASCRS/ASOA Preview
Boston: April 24-29

Boston set to host ASCRS/ASOA meeting

Major lectures, subspecialty days are event highlights.

By Jerry Helzner, Senior Editor

The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the largest meeting facility in the Northeast, is home of ASCRS/ASOA 2013.
COURTESY OF THE GREATER BOSTON CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

An estimated 14,000 ophthalmologists, practice administrators, staff and spouses are expected to converge on the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) for the 40th annual ASCRS/ASOA Symposium and Congress April 25 to 29. Highlights of the event include Cornea and Glaucoma days, both scheduled for April 25, three major lectures, Ophthalmology Hall of Fame induction ceremony and, in a departure from tradition, the installation of a glaucoma specialist as president of ASCRS for the upcoming year.

Located on the South Boston waterfront a short ride from Logan Airport, BCEC is the largest convention center in the Northeast with 516,000 square feet of contiguous meeting space, 82 meeting rooms and a grand ballroom. The entire facility offers access to complimentary Wi-Fi and cell phone connectivity.

A break from tradition

Though ASCRS has almost always chosen a notable cataract or refractive surgeon to be its president, the next year will see glaucoma specialist Richard A. Lewis, MD, of Sacramento, Calif., occupy that post. The selection of Dr. Lewis reflects the growing number of new therapies and surgical procedures, some performed in combination with cataract surgery, being introduced into the treatment of glaucoma.

Glaucoma specialist Richard A. Lewis is new ASCRS president.

Dr. Lewis is currently a practicing ophthalmologist and partner at Grutzmacher Lewis and Sierra Surgical Eye Specialists. He is also the former director of glaucoma at the University of California, Davis. He has lectured extensively on combination glaucoma and cataract surgery and is active in clinical research in glaucoma therapy.

One of Dr. Lewis’s more notable achievements is pioneering canaloplasty (Ellex Medical, Adelaide, Australia) a bleb-less glaucoma surgery that has been demonstrated to be safe and effective for open-angle glaucoma.

“This is a unique time for ophthalmology,” says Dr. Lewis. “Technology has broadened our diagnostic and surgical options in many ways not envisioned only a few years ago. At the same time, government regulatory changes, including the Affordable Care Act, ICD-10 and the SGR, effects on reimbursement threaten our care of patients. I want to see ASCRS continue to guide its members through these and other yet unforeseen challenges going forward.”

Three major lectures

The annual Binkhorst, Kelman and Science and Medicine Lectures are highlights of every ASCRS meeting. This year, the prestigious Binkhorst Lecture will be given first as part of the opening general session on Saturday, April 26.

Iqbal (Ike) K. Ahmed, MD, of the University of Toronto, will receive the Binkhorst Medal for “significant contributions to the science and practice of ophthalmology,” notably in the areas of surgical management of glaucoma, complex cataract and intraocular lens complications. He will deliver a lecture titled “Micriunvasive Glaucoma Surgery: An Idea Whose time Has Come.”

Adam Rutherford, PhD, will present the Science and Medicine Lecture at 10 am April 27, as part of the Sunday Summit session. Dr. Rutherford, who earned his doctorate at University College in London, is a prolific science writer who has hosted several popular BBC television documentaries focusing on genetics and the rise of synthetic biology. In his documentaries, articles and interviews, he brings an irreverent yet thought-provoking approach to such serious topics as the future of medicine and how these changes will affect patients, doctors and members of a global community.

From top: Faneuil Hall Marketplace at night; Harbor Walk with Boston Skyline; Chinatown Gate; Theater District; The Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
COURTESY: GREATER BOSTON CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

Warren E. Hill, MD, FACS, will deliver the Kelman Innovators’ Lecture on Monday morning, April 28, as part of the Innovators’ Session. The title of Dr. Hill’s lecture is “Something Borrowed, Something New: Improved Accuracy for IOL Power Selection.”

Dr. Hill, medical director of East Valley Ophthalmology in Mesa, Ariz., has specialized in taking on challenging anterior segment surgical cases and in delving into the mathematics of IOL lens power calculation.

“So much of what we use in ophthalmology actually had a beginning in some other field: the technological basis for optical biometry and even phacoemulsifdication being well-known examples,” he says. “I will show how borrowing two aspects of well-established calculation methodology from outside of ophthalmology holds out the promise of a new level of IOL selection accuracy and enhanced patient safety.”

Honored Guest Award

This year’s Honored Guest Award for life-long achievement in ophthalmology will go to Philip C. Hessburg, MD, and Keiki R. Mehta, MD.

Dr. Hessburg is president of the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology and the driving force behind the unique and popular “The Eye and the Auto” conference held every other year by the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology. The conference invites papers and presentations that examine the relationship between vision and the automobile industry, with emphasis on new concepts that have the potential to make driving safer.

Dr. Mehta, who founded the Mehta International Eye Institute in Mumbai after training in London, Dublin and New York, is a pioneer in the development of foldable IOLs and on bringing world-class eye care to India. He has many “firsts” to his credit, including being the first ophthalmologist in India to implant foldable IOLs as a part of regular practice.

Outside the meeting hall

For those who can tear themselves away from the events inside the Convention Center, Boston offers a number of attractive late April events.

A must-do for visitors to Boston is to walk the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail encompassing 16 historic sites from Boston Common to Faneuil Hall.

The Freedom Trail Foundation offers the popular “Walk Into History” tours along the famous red line with an 18th century costumed guide. Hear the tales of the colonials who challenged Britain and established a new democracy. These 90-minute tours are designed for individuals or groups.

In late April, public tours leave every hour on the hour (beginning at 11 a.m.) from Boston Common Visitor Information Center and every hour on the half-hour (beginning at 10:30 a.m.) from the ArtsBoston ticket booth at Faneuil Hall. For more information or to make reservations for a tour, phone: (617) 357-8300 or e-mail info@thefreedomtrail.org.

Within walking distance of the convention center, The Waterfront area has become a focal point of Boston cultural activity, with the recent addition of the Institute of Contemporary Art and the expansion of the Boston Children’s Museum.

For those seeking a different type of shopping experience, Newbury Street in Boston’s upscale Back Bay area is home to a unique and diverse array of retail establishments, hosting a wide range of both branded retailers and locally owned boutiques. Also in the Back Bay are the Pru Center and Copley Place, two large shopping malls connected by a sky bridge.

Another favorite shopping area is the Faneuil Hall Marketplace, near the North End and close to the Waterfront, where visitors will find an appealing mix of both shopping and dining. For antiques, go no further than Charles Street, home to numerous antique shops and dealers.

For sports fans, though baseball’s World Champion Boston Red Sox will be on the road for much of late April, they will be home at Fenway Park to host the Tampa Bay Rays at 7:10 p.m. on the evening of April 29. In addition, The NHL’s Boston Bruins will be in the playoffs in late April, though home dates and times have yet to be determined. OM