Get Ready for Las Vegas: Part 4

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BEAT THE CLOCK

Register Now to Avoid Standing in Line Later

Avoid long lines onsite—register online for AAO 2015 by Sept. 23 to have your badge and other materials mailed to you before the meeting. Remember to also purchase the Academy Plus course pass and any tickets that you need. After Oct. 21, you must register in person in Las Vegas.

To register, visit www.aao.org/registration.

NEW! Register for EyeNet Corporate Lunches

EyeNet debuts its corporate educational lunches this year. These onsite programs are non-CME and are developed independently by industry—they are not affiliated with the official program of AAO 2015 or Subspecialty Day.

Space is limited. Register in advance to reserve your seat at these free events. On each day, lunch and check-in are 12:15-12:45 p.m., and the program is 12:45-1:45 p.m.    

• Diabetic Eye Disease: Diagnosis and Management Strategies for Patients. Saturday, Nov. 14. Allen C. Ho, MD, FACS, and Mandeep Brar, MD. Supported by Regeneron.
• The Oculus Pentacam for Cataract Surgery and IOL Calculations. Sunday, Nov. 15. H. John Shammas, MD, and Thomas Kohnen, MD, PhD. Supported by Oculus. 
• DNA Testing for Keratorefractive Surgery Safety. Monday, Nov. 16. Anthony Aldave, MD, Jay Bansal, MD, and John Marshall, PhD, FMedSci. Supported by Avellino Lab USA.

Register at www.aao.org/eyenet/corporate-lunches.

Build Your Schedule

Start planning what sessions to attend—full course listings and abstracts are available online. You can look up information by presenter, keyword, or event number. You can also search the program by topic (e.g., “Cataract”), event type (e.g., “Symposia”), or special interest (e.g., “Endorsed by Young Ophthalmologist Committee”). Log in to get up-to-the-minute information and begin building your personal calendar for AAO 2015.

For more information and to view offerings, visit www.aao.org/programsearch.

Preview the Exhibition

Use the Virtual Exhibition to search for exhibitors by company name, booth number, product categories, medical subspecialty, common equipment terms, and basic ophthalmic conditions. Review an exhibiting company’s profile, including business contacts and product categories, as well as a map showing its location in the exhibit hall.

Create a My Expo account. By logging in, you can use My Expo to tag exhibitors of interest and create a list for your visit to the exhibition. 

For more information, visit www.aao.org/exhibition.

ORBITAL GALA AUCTION: The best deals on the strip. Get ready for AAO 2015’s most-anticipated party—the Foundation’s Orbital Gala on Nov. 15 at the Wynn Las Vegas. Raise funds to support the Academy’s programs while enjoying cocktails, dinner, live entertainment, and dancing. The silent auction offers can’t-miss deals including a Lumenis SLT Selecta II laser system, a Haag-Streit Octopus 900 perimeter, an Ecuadorian rain forest adventure, designer fashion accessories, fine wines, and more. For an auction preview and to purchase tickets, visit www.aao.org/foundation.

PROGRAM

Discover the Opening Session (Sym44)

DR. COLEMAN.

Attend the Opening Session to officially launch AAO 2015 with your colleagues; celebrate this year’s Laureate Recognition Awardee, Bruce E. Spivey, MD; and hear 2 honorary lectures. When: Sunday, Nov. 15, 8:30-10:00 a.m. Where: Venetian Ballroom EF. Access: Free.

Jackson Memorial Lecture. “How Big Data Informs Us About Cataract Surgery” will be given by Anne Louise Coleman, MD, PhD. Dr. Coleman’s extensive research interests span the interface of ophthalmology and public health, with an emphasis on comparative effectiveness research, visual functioning, and societal impacts of eye diseases.

MR. MORRIS.

Keynote: Michael F. Marmor, MD, Lecture in Ophthalmology and the Arts. “Two World Visions: The Myopia of Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan” will be given by Edmund Morris, Pulitzer Prize– and National Book Award–winning presidential biographer.

Discover Symposia Highlights

AAO 2015 offers a variety of symposia that explore current hot topics. Use the online program search to explore the full list of symposia. These include:

Ebola and the Eye: A Story of Survivors (Sym53). Recent studies have shown that Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors are at risk for post-Ebola syndrome, which includes uveitis, arthritis/arthralgias, and psychosocial difficulties. Ian Crozier, MD, an Ebola survivor and infectious disease specialist, along with Dr. John Fankhauser, lead clinician at ELWA Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, will discuss their approach to EVD survivor care and the tremendous need for subspecialty care. When: Sunday, Nov. 15, 3:45-5:15 p.m. Where: Venetian Ballroom AB. Access: Free.

Improving Your Odds in Anterior Segment Surgery (Sym31). This symposium features a discussion of the latest technologies, including ocular guidance systems, phaco, and intraocular lenses, and new surgical techniques. Each talk will be followed by a panel discussion. When: Monday, Nov. 16, 2:00-4:00 p.m. Where: Venetian Ballroom EF. Access: Free.

What We Have Learned From the IRIS Registry (Sym25). The IRIS (Intelligent Research in Sight) Registry is the Academy’s solution to help ophthalmologists meet increasing demand for quality reporting and to help drive improvements in quality and patient outcomes. Attend this symposium to hear what the data gathered from you and your colleagues have begun to reveal about patient outcomes and our profession. When: Monday, Nov. 16, 10:45-11:45 a.m. Where: Venetian Ballroom AB. Access: Free.

OPHTHALMIC PREMIER LEAGUE. In this symposium, the panel members play various roles (and dress accordingly): moderators, chairs, judges, referees, and umpires.

Ophthalmic Premier League: A Team Video Competition on Managing Cataract Complications (Sym12). Root for your favorite team of ophthalmologists as they show their most challenging cataract complications cases through videos. The audience will then vote for their favorite team—see who takes home the trophy. When: Sunday, Nov. 15, 2:00-3:30 p.m. Where: Venetian Ballroom EF. Access: Free.

Conference for Ophthalmic Educators: Improving Teaching Effectiveness (Sym02). This combined meeting with the International Council of Ophthalmology will discuss ways to improve teaching effectiveness and provide an opportunity to connect with other educators from around the world. Participants will choose from a variety of workshops and group discussions. When: Saturday, Nov. 14, 2:00-5:30 p.m. Where: Marco Polo 701. Access: Free.

Quality Assurance in Global Blindness Prevention: What Is Realistic and Appropriate in Low-Resource Settings (Sym01). During this combined meeting with the Academy’s Global Education and Outreach Committee, attendees will be introduced to available eye care quality control software, methodologies, and practical implementation practices to help monitor, track, and report eye care services in developing countries. When: Saturday, Nov. 14, 2:00-3:30 p.m. Where: Bassano 2701. Access: Free.

For more information, visit www.aao.org/programsearch.

SUBSPECIALTY DAY

Subspecialty Day Previews: What’s Hot

This month, program directors from the Glaucoma, Refractive Surgery, and Retina meetings preview some of this year’s highlights. (See last month’s EyeNet for the hot topics at the Cornea, Neuro-Ophthalmology, and Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus meetings.)

■ GLAUCOMA 2015: Winning Strategies—Glaucoma in the 21st Century

Program directors: James D. Brandt, MD, and Joel S. Schuman, MD. When: Saturday, Nov. 14 (8:00 a.m.-5:07 p.m.).

“The Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) was arguably the most important and influential glaucoma study of the last few decades,” Dr. Brandt said.

“By changing practice patterns, such as the introduction of pachymetry into the glaucoma exam, developing the first validated risk assessment tools for glaucoma, and providing clinicians with real data to guide them on whom to treat and whom to just observe, the OHTS continues to impact our daily management of patients. The Subspecialty Day organizers felt that, in 2015, some 20 years after the first OHTS patients were recruited to the study, it’s time to look back on the many things that we learned from this study and, just as important, what we have yet to learn from the OHTS patients today. The National Eye Institute recently provided funding for the OHTS investigators to take one last look at the OHTS patients—an opportunity to reexamine them with the new technologies and understanding we’ve gained over the last 2 decades. Michael Kass, MD, the principal investigator and chair of the OHTS, will give the 2015 AGS Subspecialty Day Lecture entitled OHTS at 20 Years: What We Have Learned and What We Hope to Learn.”

The Glaucoma meeting is organized in conjunction with the American Glaucoma Society.

■ REFRACTIVE SURGERY 2015: The Vegas Player’s Guide of Refractive Surgery—Everyone Wins!

Program directors: A. John Kanellopoulos, MD, and Bonnie A. Henderson, MD. When: Friday, Nov. 13 (8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.).

“In response to popular demand, we have consolidated the traditional 2-day program of the ISRS refractive subspecialty meeting into an action-packed single day on Friday,” Dr. Kanellopoulos said. “This way, ophthalmologists from all subspecialties and practice patterns will be able to benefit from our program, no longer ‘competing’ with other great subspecialty meetings on Saturday. New this year, and potentially immensely popular not only for anterior segment surgeons but also for all ophthalmologists, will be a special ISRS members–only working lunch session on therapeutic refractive surgery—so please sign up as an ISRS member as soon as possible!

Several evolving diagnostics andtreatment alternatives will be presented and debated by a global faculty in a case-by-case fashion, with active, mic-on participant feedback. We will be focusing on the therapeutic benefits and potential complications of cornea- and lens-based refractive surgery today as well as on improving the visual performance of eyes with corneal irregularities and/or scarring by using customized cornea therapeutic refractive reshaping.”

The Refractive Surgery meeting is the annual meeting of the International Society of Refractive Surgery.

■ RETINA 2015: Upping the Ante

Program directors: Pravin U. Dugel, MD, and Jennifer I. Lim, MD. When: Friday, Nov. 13 (8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.), and Saturday, Nov. 14 (8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.).

“Our popular First-Time Results of Clinical Trials section gives attendees the opportunity to be among the first to hear findings from key studies,” Dr. Dugel said. “For instance, first-time clinical trials results will be presented for anti-PDGF drugs, squalamine, and radiation treatment for exudative AMD; steroid treatment for diabetic macular edema and retinal vein occlusion; and new surgical techniques. Other relevant topics include new surgical instrumentation, the business of medicine, inherited retinal diseases, and stem cell implantation. The program emphasizes discussion, debate, and video presentation. The meeting promises to be relevant for both retina specialists and comprehensive ophthalmologists.”

The Retina meeting is organized in conjunction with the American Society of Retina Specialists, the Macula Society, the Retina Society, and Club Jules Gonin.