Green Ophthalmology: Our Sustainability Mandate

The ophthalmology profession has a responsibility to reduce the amount of waste it produces, says Dr. Jeff Pettey in this interview from AAO 2023 about the symposium he co-chaired on "Green Ophthalmology: Our Sustainability Mandate." Patients who live in the most vulnerable circumstances have less access to eye health care and are also the populations most likely to be affected by climate change. Therefore, one question that was discussed was how ophthalmologists can produce less waste. Potential solutions for reducing waste include seeing which items in surgical packs aren't used often or aren't needed, substituting multi-use instruments for single-use ones, and trying to get industry to reduce the amount of packaging used.

Financial Disclosures: Dr. Naveen Rao discloses financial relationships with Calyx Corporation, NorthEast Eye Research Associates, Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Varpas, W. L. Gore Corporation (Consultant/Advisor), and Dompe (Lecture Fees/Speakers Bureau). Dr. Jeff Pettey discloses financial relationships with Alderya Therapeutics, Allergan, Carl Zeiss Meditec, and LENSAR (Consultant/Advisor).