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EyeNet Magazine >> Notebook
Academy Notebook
What’s Happening
For the Record
FYI
Washington Report
Members at Large
Meeting Matters
What’s Happening
Introducing the Laureate Recognition Award
The Academy’s board of trustees is proud to unveil its new and single highest honor: the Laureate Recognition Award. This “Nobel Prize” of ophthalmology is intended to recognize ophthalmologists who have made exceptional scientific contributions to the betterment of eye care, leading to the prevention of blindness and restoration of sight worldwide.
Awardees could receive this honor for any number of contributions, including development of new techniques accepted worldwide, creation of a seminal invention or adaptation of an existing technology, determination of a new treatment modality, discovery of the etiology of a disease state, reassessment of previous findings resulting in a significant shift in treatment, establishing new standards for quality of care in ophthalmology, realizing a breakthrough in genetic understanding, leading primary research in new pharmacological products and focusing on eye care worldwide.
In their inaugural year, the 2003 Laureate Awards are dedicated to three giants of 20th century ophthalmology whose contributions continue to have an impact around the world: Charles D. Kelman, MD, Robert Machemer, MD, and Charles L. Schepens, MD. To read full biographies of these distinguished leaders, see the Final Program or the Academy News (Monday edition) during the Annual Meeting or go online to www.EyeNetMagazine.org.
Glaucoma Video Wins National Award
The Academy’s Understanding Glaucoma patient education video won the gold medal at the 2003 National Mature Media Awards in August.
The video, produced in both English and Spanish, features former astronaut and senator John Glenn. It describes risk factors, diagnosis and treatment options for glaucoma, and it emphasizes the importance of regular glaucoma evaluations.
In 2001, the Academy’s Understanding Age-Related Macular Degeneration video took first place in the Health Education category of the Freddies (formerly known as the Time Inc. Health’s International Health and Medical Media Awards).
For more information on these videos, visit www.aao.org/patiented.
Academy Launches Education Fund
Since its founding in 1896, the Academy has been dedicated to meeting the practicing ophthalmologist’s need for lifelong ophthalmic education. To ensure that ophthalmologists receive a lifetime of comprehensive, state-of-the-art education, the Academy will introduce The Academy Education Fund at the Annual Meeting during the Opening Session, which starts at 8:30 on Sunday, Nov. 16 in the Arena.
The fund will be used to support the development of current and clinically relevant educational materials such as Specialty Clinical Updates, the Basic Clinical and Science Course and an easy-to-use, online ophthalmic knowledge base. Through this support, ophthalmologists and other eye professionals worldwide can obtain the educational resources necessary to improve eye care.
Gifts made to TAEF will support a lifetime of education while sustaining our Academy’s tradition of high-quality, practical educational resources now and in the future.
To find out how you can support TAEF, please log on to www.theacademyeducationfund.org, contact Jenna Ervice at 415-447-0356 or jervice@aao.org or visit the EyeCare America Resource Center (Booth #1247) in Anaheim.
For the Record
Vote Online or by Post
Calling all active voting members and fellows. Remember to cast a ballot for the next president-elect, senior secretary for clinical education and two trustee positions as well as the three amendments to the Academy’s Bylaws, Code of Ethics and Procedural Rules.
Voting lasts 30 days from Monday, Nov. 17 at noon Central Standard Time to Wednesday, Dec. 17, noon CST. For the third year, voting members will have the option of either Internet or traditional mail ballot. If you vote both online and by mail, only the latter ballot will be counted.
Online voting: The easiest way to vote online is to visit the Academy’s home page, following the well-marked link to the voting site.
Mail voting: All members entitled to vote should receive a Voting Guide shortly after the Annual Meeting.
The candidates and more: Visit www.aao.org/elections to read candidate bios, view proposed amendments to the governance documents, learn how to nominate a candidate for the 2005 board and, in December, see election results. Candidate info will also be on view in Lobby C/D, near CD-ROM sales, during the Annual Meet
FYI
Ophthalmology Has a New Online Home
Almost everyone acknowledges that a “one-stop shop” is a major convenience in the cyber realm. Why go through the hassle of searching for the URLs of seven periodicals when you can get access to all with one click?
With that in mind the Academy’s journal Ophthalmology is joining with Elsevier to become the centerpiece of Elsevier’s new OphSource portal (www.ophsource.org). An evolving online community of seven respected ophthalmology periodicals—including the American Journal of Ophthalmology and Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery—developed by both the Academy and Elsevier, OphSource will be launched at this year’s Annual Meeting and offers users some distinct advantages. Users can do the following:
- Search a single journal, all journals within the portal or, eventually, more than 500 medical and surgical titles published by Elsevier.
- Save a particularly complicated search with multiple terms for later use and/or be alerted via e-mail when an article matching those search criteria is published.
- Review as many as 20 searches last 24 hours.
- Access and search Medline results.
- Sign up to receive e-mail alerts as new issues of Ophthalmology and other OphSource titles go up.
Academy members receive the print version of Ophthalmology as a member benefit and need only log in to access the online version for free, as well. Formerly hosted by High Wire Press, Ophthalmology online also will retain the same Web address it has had since 2000, www.aaojournal.org, so if you’ve already bookmarked the address, there’s no need to do it again.
For more information about Ophthalmology online and OphSource, visit Elsevier (Booth #3001) at the Academy’s Annual Meeting or go to www.ophsource.org.
Get Your 2004 Eye Care Calendar
Last year at about this time, children worldwide were preparing their entries for the annual art contest sponsored by the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Now the winning images, which feature eye health and safety themes, are available as part of the I Care for Eye Care 2004 calendar. The same images are available as a 12-pack set of note cards. Proceeds are used to promote public awareness of pediatric ophthalmology issues and to support the AAPOS Eye Care for Kids Fund to help children in need of eye care. The cost is $10 per calendar or box of cards.
To order, you may visit www.aapos.org to download an order form, e-mail your request to AAPOS@aao.org or call the AAPOS office at 415-561-8505.
Call for Entries
The Spanish National Organization of the Blind (ONCE) is accepting entries for its 3rd biennial competition for research and development into biomedicine and new technologies for the blind.
Three prizes will be granted to the winning researchers for their proposals for research to forward the social integration of the blind and visually impaired through work in biotechnology, biomedicine and other high-tech fields.
The first prize is $207,363 and the two runners-up will each receive $69,121.
For more info and an application, check the ONCE Web site, www.once.es/R+D, email sr@once.es or call 34-91-436-53-00.
The deadline for submissions is May 31, 2004.
Dues Are Due
By now you should have received your membership renewal package in the mail and, hopefully, you are ready to renew to take full advantage of all the benefits of Academy membership. Please note that your Academy membership dues are due by June 30, 2004.
To renew your membership online, please visit the Academy’s Web site at www.aao.org/member. You may also renew by mail, fax or phone, as specified in your renewal packet.
If you have any questions, please contact Member Services by phone, 415-561-8581, by fax, 415-561-8575, by email, member_services@aao.org, or visit the Academy Resource Center (Booth #1438) at the Annual Meeting.
December Is Safe Toys, Celebrations Month
Don’t miss out on one of the Academy’s most popular public information campaigns, Safe Toys & Celebrations Month. With the Academy’s free, easy-to-use public information material, you can help spread the message of safety to your patients, community and the media.
On our Web site (www.aao.org/eyemd), you’ll find a free template for a press release, fact sheets, talking points, tips and other resources that make getting involved effortless.
Publicize Your Anaheim Attendance
While you’re at the Annual Meeting, stop by the Communications kiosk in the Academy’s Resource Center (Hall B, Booth #1438) and pick up your free news release template announcing your attendance at the Annual Meeting. Fill in your name and that of your practice and send it to your local media to inform the community of your interest in staying up to date in the field.
Washington Report
Contact Lens Issues Gain Congressional Attention
As the tide of congressional issues ebbs and flows, two contact lens issues have surfaced on Capitol Hill. The Academy is working legislatively to ensure that 1) plano contact lenses are treated as medical devices and 2) there is a limit to the possible burdens ophthalmologists would bear resulting from a contact lens prescription mandate.
Plano Contact Lens Bill The Academy-backed “Plano Lens Bill” (HR 2218) seeks to amend the “Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act” to regulate noncorrective contact lenses as medical devices. HR 2218 has been fast tracked for early consideration thanks in part to a letter to the bill’s sponsors signed by the Academy and seven of its partners in this effort. In addition, the Academy is urging support from members of the newly launched Vision Caucus and is encouraging other House members to cosponsor and support the bill.
Contact Lens Prescription Release Mandate For ophthalmology, it is déjà vu as Congress again maneuvers to enact a contact lens prescription mandate—setting a federal standard for what more than 30 states have already set into law. As the result of substantial revisions and endorsement by the democrats and the American Optometric Association, the contact lens prescription release legislation (HR 3140, previously HR 2221), recently zipped through the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Trade and Consumer Protection. This new bill contains a number of changes the Academy fought for, including payment to the practitioner prior to the release of the prescription and various mandates on the dispenser, among other issues. A passive prescription verification provision sought by 1-800-Contacts and Consumers Union was adopted. In a concession to the Academy, the FTC will define the precise response time (nominally eight business hours or a similar time, to be determined) during the public rule-making process, which is where the Academy will now focus its efforts. For details, please visit www.aao.org/advocacy.
Members at Large
State-to-State: Career and Advocacy Tips for Residents
The 2003 Southeastern Ophthalmology Resident Meeting of the Minds: What Every Resident Needs to Know to Thrive After Residency provided “a wonderful opportunity for residents from multiple states to come together and learn about practice management and advocacy issues, which will be so relevant and valuable as they complete their training,” said Paul C. Kang, MD, a third-year resident at Duke. “Laws and policies constantly change the role of the physician, and I feel that it is important for us to have a voice in what our role should ultimately be,” said Dr. Kang.
The meeting, which took place in Durham, N.C., in September, was the brainchild of Sharon Fekrat, MD, a participant in the North Carolina Medical Society’s Leadership Development Program. Dr. Fekrat thought that this meeting would be a perfect extension of the Academy’s Residents’ Advocacy Program. The meeting also added the important element of practice management issues.
The North Carolina Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons and the North Carolina Medical Society sponsored the meeting, with additional support from the southeast state ophthalmological societies—who helped fund the residents’ travel expenses—and from Alcon, Allergan, Bausch & Lomb, Leica, Merck and Novartis.
Program directors Drs. Fekrat, Kang and Duke resident Sherman W. Reeves, MD, PhD, had an impressive field of presenters, including Associate Secretary for State Affairs Donald J. Cinotti, MD, and Secretariat member and past NCSEPS President Cynthia Hampton, MD.
Meeting Matters
EyeNet at the Annual Meeting
EyeNet delivers useful Annual Meeting information before and during the meeting. Stop by the Academy Resource or EyeNet’s booth (#2593) to pick up these and other publications:
Anaheim Highlights: A quick and easy guide to the meeting, including free sessions, hall highlights, maps, exhibitor listings, social events and more, Anaheim Highlights begins on page 69 of the print version of EyeNet.
Free Papers and Posters: A supplement to the print version of EyeNet.
Academy News: Published Sunday and Monday of the meeting, Academy News contains comprehensive news and information about Subspecialty Days, Opening Sessions, the Exhibit Hall, papers, posters, lectures and symposia.
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