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Eyes On Eyecare at ASCRS: 2021's Top Anterior Segment Meeting

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4 min read

The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) in-person meeting in Las Vegas, NV was an excellent opportunity to meet colleagues and friends and learn about new developments in the field in person.

Eyes On Eyecare at ASCRS: 2021's Top Anterior Segment Meeting
The 2021 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) in-person meeting took place this year in Las Vegas, NV. The meeting was a wonderful opportunity to see friends and colleagues after many months and was one of the first in-person ophthalmology meetings of the year.
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ASCRS: Our favorite anterior segment meeting!
I have been attending ASCRS meetings since I was a first-year resident and this is my favorite anterior segment meeting to attend every year. The meeting features lectures, courses, and symposia geared not only towards seasoned ophthalmologists but also young eye surgeons.
The ASCRS meeting kicked off on Thursday with an in-person Eyecelerator meeting, a venture aimed at furthering innovation and advancement through collaboration with ophthalmology and industry to improve patient care. Friday featured informative subspeciality days: Cornea Day, Refractive Day and Glaucoma Day, which highlighted key topics and presentations in each anterior segment subspeciality area. During Refractive Day, Dr. Marguerite McDonald delivered the prestigious Steinert Refractive Lecture, highlighting the evolution and advancement of treatments and therapeutics for presbyopia.
Throughout the meeting weekend, skills transfer labs were available for eye surgeons to learn and practice complex cataract surgery as well as secondary intraocular lens implantation and endothelial keratoplasty techniques. Roundtable discussions were held with experts about topics ranging from intraocular lens calculations to keratoconus. The ASCRS taproom in the exhibit hall featured talks from top physicians about innovative technologies as well as live episodes of the new ASCRS podcast—Quicksand Chronicles—during which surgeons shared complex cases and vulnerable moments during surgery. Industry sponsors were present in the exhibit hall, leading to dynamic conversations and collaborations.
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As always, the agenda at ASCRS is packed with engaging and informative sessions.
Some highlights of this year’s meeting included an opening general session honoring Dr. Terry Kim, this past year’s ASCRS president, as well as incoming ASCRS president Dr. Richard Hoffman. Dr. Richard Lewis shared thoughts on methods, diagnostics, and treatments to prevent vision loss from glaucoma during the Binkhorst Lecture. Dr. Steven Slade delivered the Charles D. Kelman MD Innovator’s Lecture, discussing how innovation is the creation of value in our field and the Winning Pitch Challenge was won by Dr. Jim Ellis MD for the JelliSee intraocular lens, a novel accommodating IOL platform. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former FDA commissioner, offered insights on the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as lessons learned and future actions that need to be taken to keep our country safe. Lastly, the inaugural Lindstrom lecture was given by Dr. Edward Holland about his career in cornea and ocular surface disease and celebrated the wonderful career and many accomplishments of Dr. Richard Lindstrom.
Overall, the 2021 ASCRS meeting was a true success, bringing together many surgeons, trainees, industry members, and administrators in person after many months of virtual learning. We all look forward to the 2022 ASCRS meeting in Washington, DC!

Don’t forget to block April 22-26, 2022 in your calendar for next year’s meeting!

Plus, make sure to check out the exciting on-demand content and post-meeting resources available for meeting attendees.
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The Eyes On Eyecare team takes advantage of a photo op with an influencer from Novartis.
Nandini Venkateswaran, MD
About Nandini Venkateswaran, MD

Dr. Nandini Venkateswaran is a member of the Cornea and Refractive Surgery Service at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and an Instructor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. She is a fellowship-trained cataract, cornea and refractive surgeon. Dr. Venkateswaran earned her medical degree with a distinction in community health from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. She completed her Ophthalmology residency at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute/University of Miami, after which she completed a fellowship in cornea, external disease and refractive surgery at Duke University.

Dr. Venkateswaran truly enjoys employing her clinical and surgical expertise and research background to treat patients with a compassionate, customized and multidisciplinary approach. She specializes in complex cataract surgery, femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery with intraoperative aberrometry, most advanced techniques in corneal transplantation (DMEK, DSAEK, DALK, PKP), laser refractive surgery (LASIK and PRK), corneal cross-linking, anterior segment reconstruction (including secondary IOL implantation and iris repair), dry eye disease and ocular surface lesions and tumors.

Dr. Venkateswaran is an active member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and currently serves on several committees in these organizations. She has co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications and numerous book chapters early in her career. She has received several awards for her excellence in research and clinical care and has presented her scientific work at numerous national and international meetings.

Outside of work, Dr. Venkateswaran enjoys spending time with her friends and family, learning to cook, and riding her peloton bike.

Nandini Venkateswaran, MD
Matt Geller, OD
About Matt Geller, OD

Matt Geller, OD is the co-founder and CEO of Eyes On Eyecare—the #1 provider of clinical and career education for the next generation of optometrists and ophthalmologists through our all-in-one digital content platform.

Matt Geller, OD
Eyes On Eyecare Editorial Team
About Eyes On Eyecare Editorial Team

Led by Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Gold, PhD, Eyes On Eyecare is a digital publication that provides clinical and career education to the young generation of optometrists and ophthalmologists. We work with eyecare professionals to create compelling, educational content available for free to all those in the eyecare industry. To learn more about our team, values, and other projects, visit our About page.

Eyes On Eyecare Editorial Team
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