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2025 Annual Meeting Abstracts

Updated:  6/28/2025

ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED!  We have a record number of talks...  trying to fit everybody in the time available.  Some time slots might be shorter than originally planned.  Standby for details!

As a reminder . . .  New Club members are expected to give a talk at one of their first two annual meetings!

View the abstracts submitted so far

Overview Schedule for the week 

View the Detailed Schedule for general sessions  -- will be added later

Submit an Abstract using our electronic portal.

Deadline to submit is June 27th.
Lectures typically are 15 minutes each -- 7 minutes for the talk and 7 minutes for discussion.

CLICK HERE to download and submit the CME conflict of interest form (PDF file) 
         Email to:  [email protected]  or fax to:  847-680-1682

Please note . . .  ALL speakers giving a talk that will receive CME credit must submit the conflict of interest disclosure.  We greatly appreciate receiving these forms AT THE SAME TIME as your abstract submission.  Please complete both pages and return to the AESC office.

Go back to the main meeting page

Named Lectures

 

36th Ruedemann Lecture

J. James Rowsey, MD
Private Practice - Cornea and Comprehensive Ophthalmology
Largo, FL

"PUS, PERFORATIONS and PEMPHIGOID"
 

21st Jerry & Donna Knauer AESC Foundation Lecture

Sally L. Baxter, MD, MSc
Associate Professor
Division Chief for Ophthalmology Informatics and Data Science
Board Certification in Ophthalmology
Board Certification in Clinical Informatics
University of California - San Diego Shiley Eye Institute
San Diego, CA

  
Special OMIC Presentation

 
We are offering an OMIC Risk Management Presentation which will qualify members who are insured by OMIC for the full 10% premium discount.  More information about this will be available closer to the meeting date.

General Session Program

 
Typical Format for Talks -- We generally organized the talks into 15-minute segments with 7 minutes for a lecture and 7 minutes for discussion and questions.  This is a great time to try out new ideas or concepts, or to seek observations and reactions from your fellow Club members.  The AESC meeting is not the place for a usual "canned" lecture!  If you have an idea for a mini-symposium or a panel discussion, we certainly can devote an entire segment to that.

The following abstracts have been submitted for the summer 2025 AESC meeting.  Abstracts will be posted here as they are submitted.  Check the bottom of the page to see when this this information was last updated.

+ = New member, first meeting

Sample Name -- "How to Offer X-Ray Vision to your Patients"

  • Summary:  A multi-year study of the effects of x-ray vision will be presented.
  • Educational objectives:  Describe the benefits and risks resulting from adding x-ray vision for patients, as well as new technologies available to the ophthalmologist.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   YES
  • Notes:   Will moderate discussion about super heroes

Submitted Talks

Updated:  6.26.2025

+ Adam, Murtaza K. -- "Endophthalmitis After Pars Plana Vitrectomy: Safety and Efficacy of Intraoperative Intraocular Antibiotics"

  • Summary:  Purpose - To survey the rates of presumed infectious endophthalmitis following pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) between eyes that received intraoperative intraocular antibiotics and those that did not. Methods: A retrospective, nonrandomized, comparative case series of 11,039 consecutive cases of transconjunctival 23- and 25-gauge PPV between September 2017 and April 2024 was performed. The impact of prophylactic intraoperative intravitreal or intracameral moxifloxacin on the development of acute infectious postoperative endophthalmitis was examined. Subconjunctival antibiotics were not used in the cohort of patients who received intraocular antibiotics. 500 micrograms of moxifloxacin were administered in fluid filled eyes at the conclusion of PPV and 250 micrograms were administered in eyes with partial air tamponade. Eyes with complete air, gas, or silicone oil tamponade placement did not receive intraocular antibiotics. Results: Of the 11,039 PPV cases performed, 2,871 (26.01%) received intraoperative intraocular antibiotics and 8,168 (73.99%) did not. 12 cases (0.11%, and 1/920) of presumed infectious post-PPV endophthalmitis were identified. The incidence of endophthalmitis in eyes that received intraocular antibiotics (0.00%; 0/2,871) was significantly lower than the incidence in eyes that did not receive intraocular antibiotics (0.15%; 1/680) (P = 0.040). Microbial culture was performed in 9 cases, with 4 culture-positive cases. There was no evidence of antibiotic toxicity in the intraocular antibiotic cohort.Conclusion: Intraoperative intracameral or intravitreal moxifloxacin appears to be a safe and effective approach to reduce the rate of post-PPV endophthalmitis. Larger multicenter studies are needed to validate this dataset..
  • Educational objectives:  This is the first study to examine the impact of administering intravitreal moxifloxacin on the rate of infectious endophthalmitis following pars plana vitrectomy.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Willing to moderate a discussion
Albanis, Chris -- "Private equity: SWOT Analysis"

  • Summary:  Ophthalmologists are fortunate to be able to take outstanding care of patients under numerous business models, including private equity backed groups. We will review a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) of why to/not to join PE backed groups and a sample SWOT analysis after being a part of one for over 5 years.
  • Educational objectives:  The talk will address anecdotal comments made about being a part of a private equity backed group, the pros, cons and unknowns.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Interested in leading/moderating panel re: private equity as a practice model
Baratz, Keith -- "The effect of valacyclovir on post-herpetic neuralgia in the Zoster Eye Disease Study"

  • Summary:  The Zoster Eye Disease Study was a prospective, randomized, multi-center study to evaluate the effect of one year of a suppressive dose of valacyclovir on keratitis and iritis due to herpes zoster ophthalmicus. As a pre-specified secondary aim, the effect of the study medication on the prevalence, severity and medication use for post-herpetic neuralgia was studied. We will discuss the outcomes of this secondary aim, including the strengths and limitations of the study and its' practical implications for clinical practice..
  • Educational objectives: A summary of a few unusual peripheral retinal diseases, both uveitic and non-uveitic, that most ophthalmologists should be able to identify.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  NOT Monday
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Willing to moderate cataract/cornea sessions.  ALSO.... Chris Estopinal is discussing the primary outcomes of the Zoster Eye Disease Study. Our presentations should be given together and discussed together.
Beardsley, Robert -- "A Few of My Favorite Things... (Give a moment for the peripheral retina)"

  • Summary:  The peripheral retina is a wonderland of disease and weirdness. Nothing can scare a refractive surgeon more than a patient needing a depressed scleral exam. Not much merits a retina referral faster from optometry that a ditzel on the OPTOS image. And sometimes there are things that make me say, “Hmmmm.” In this talk I’ll discuss three of my favorite peripheral retinal entities that while not common, should be fairly easy to identify once visualized. Lack of identification and appropriate management can of course lead to blindness, but don’t let that scare you. Given it is the AESC, this talk will focus on PECHRs, PORN-like disease, and CMV retinitis.
  • Educational objectives:  Data suggest that herpes zoster ophthalmicus is characterized by chronic or recurrent viral shedding, so there is a possibility that suppressive anti-viral medication may have an impact on post-herpetic neuralgia
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   Yes
  • Notes:   
Berry, Jesse -- "Safety Assessment of Aqueous Humor Liquid Biopsy in Retinoblastoma: A Multicenter Study of 1,203 Procedures"
 
  • Summary:  Purpose: To evaluate the safety profile of aqueous humor (AH) liquid biopsy in pediatric patients with retinoblastoma (RB) and RB-simulating lesions through a multicenter analysis of paracentesis procedures.Methods: retrospective review of medical recordsResults: A total of 1,203 paracentesis procedures were performed on 484 eyes of 425 pediatric patients, including 352 patients with RB and 73 with RB-simulating lesions; 1 mild complication was identified, representing an overall complication rate of 0.08%.Conclusion: No moderate or severe complications, including vision, eye loss, extraocular tumor spread, or death were observed at a median follow-up of 16 months. The procedure demonstrated an excellent safety profile across multiple centers, with no permanent adverse outcomes
  • Educational objectives:  The goal of this study is to evaluate the safety profile of aqueous humor (AH) liquid biopsy in pediatric patients with retinoblastoma (RB) and RB-simulating lesions through a multicenter analysis of paracentesis procedures; this analysis demonstrated AH liquid biopsy via anterior chamber paracentesis is a safe and well-tolerated procedure in pediatric patients with RB when performed by trained ocular surgeons under general anesthesia.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
Chan, R.V. Paul -- "Mini-symposium:  Artificial Intelligence in Ophthalmology: Where We Are and Where Are We Going?"

  • Summary:  A review of artificial intelligence in ophthalmology, including current applications and possible future trends.
  • Educational objectives:  This symposium will explore the uses, potential and concerns for artificial intelligence applications in ophthalmology.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
Chen, John -- "Pocket Steroids for MOGAD Relapses: A Prospective Study"
 
  • Summary:  Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) is a distinct demyelinating disorder with optic neuritis (ON) as a prominent clinical feature. Several retrospective studies have suggested that early steroids may lead to better visual outcomes, but this has not been evaluated prospectively. Between 7/1/2020 and 1/1/2025, MOGAD patients were recruited into a prospective study evaluating the use of hyperacute high dose steroids for relapses in MOGAD. If a patient developed eye pain or vision loss concerning for relapse, they were instructed to self-administer oral (PO) 1250 mg prednisone daily for 3 days, ideally within 12 hours of symptom onset, followed by 50mg of PO prednisone daily for 11 days. 115 MOGAD patients have been enrolled with a median age of 44.5 (range 11-81); 59% were female. The median follow-up was 1.75 years (range 0-4.4 years) with 70 having ≥1 year of follow-up. There was a total of 14 ON relapses confirmed on MRI and/or OCT, which all had complete recovery after PO prednisone (median time to treatment<1 day). There were an additional 10 possible ON attacks with eye pain only, which resolved without vision loss after hyperacute PO prednisone treatment. One patient had confirmed mild ON that improved spontaneously without steroids. This prospective study suggests that hyperacute high dose steroid treatment, “Pocket steroids”, may reduce the risk of developing permanent deficits from MOGAD relapses. This data is promising and supports a future multicenter prospective randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial to confirm these findings.
  • Educational objectives:  Physicians should recognize that prompt steroid treatment of MOGAD optic neuritis is associated with better outcomes.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
Chiu, Cynthia -- "The man who had endophthalmitis 7 times"

  • Summary:  A case report of a 93 year-old patient who developed bilateral recurrent endophthalmitis with Enterococcus faecalis. The talk will detail the patient's seven episodes of endophthalmitis involving both eyes, and analysis of this unusual case.
  • Educational objectives:  To help practicing ophthalmologists recognize the risk factors for surgical infection in elderly patients.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  Not Wednesday or Thursday.  Will be there Monday and Tuesday.
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Interested in leading/moderating pediatric retina, general surgical retina or uveitis discussions
Cole, Charles -- "Glaucoma Surgery in Ghana Using Ophthalmic Nurses For Post-Operative Care: A Case Series - 2 Years of Follow-up"

  • Summary:   Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Performing glaucoma surgery in low- and middle-income countries often with fewer ophthalmologists is challenging. We assessed the effectiveness of using ophthalmic nurses as physician extenders for the post-operative management of glaucoma surgical patients.
  • Educational objectives:  Addresses the problem of post op management in areas with few physicians
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None.
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
Coney, Joseph -- "Treatment Response and Safety of Faricimab in Underrepresented Patients with DME: Year 1 Results from ELEVATUM in the US"      (new title)

  • Summary:  
  • Educational objectives: 
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Willing to serve as a moderator
Couch, Steven M. -- "High Pursuits: The Beauty and Grit of Mountain Hunting"

  • Summary:  I would like to show the detailed preparation for high adventure mountain hunting. The process of getting together for hiking and camping and stalking high altitude mountains in various weather situations to observe beauty and hopefully harvest a mature animal that you are pursuing..
  • Educational objectives:  Grit in life leads to grit for other tough situations in practice.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   Not a CME talk
  • Notes:   Willing to serve as a moderator
Cunningham, Matthew -- "Outcomes of Diabetic Patients with Post-Operative Vitreous Hemorrhage Treated with Intravitreal Bevacizumab"

  • Summary:  This is a retrospective, interventional case series of diabetic patients with postoperative vitreous hemorrhage following PPV for diabetic-related complications, treated with intravitreal Bevacizumab, from June 2019 to July 2024. The primary outcome measure was the change in visual acuity from preoperative to final postoperative follow-up. Secondary outcomes included the number of Avastin injections needed, timing of first injection in relation to the onset of symptoms, and complications.
  • Educational objectives:  Diabetic retinopathy remains one of the leading causes of vision loss worldwide, and this lecture addresses a potential treatment option for a common issue seen after vitrectomy surgery for diabetic-related complications.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
+ Dedania, Vaidehi -- "Jet Stream in the vitreous"

  • Summary:  A 3-week old female (46XX) born at 39.2 weeks was evaluated for ocular manifestations of Aicardi syndrome. MRI Brain demonstrated agenesis of the corpus collosum and choroid plexus abnormalities. The patient had refractory infantile spasms. On initial dilated fundus examination optic nerve colobomas and chorioretinal lacunae were noted in both eyes. On examination in clinic 2 months later, a shallow retinal detachment was noted in the right eye. Examination under anesthesia demonstrated rapid leakage of fluorescein through the optic nerve coloboma, starting 7 seconds after fluorescein injection, supporting the diagnosis of an exudative retinal detachment.
  • Educational objectives:  There is a gap in knowledge understanding the etiology of exudative retinal detachment in some patients with a chorioretinal coloboma.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  Not on Thursday (8/7)
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   YES
  • Notes:   Interested in leading/moderating pediatric retina, general surgical retina or uveitis discussions
 DelMonte, Derek-- "In-office Ophthalmic Surgery: The way of the future?"
 
  • Summary: In-office ophthalmic surgery is gaining traction as the potential future of outpatient cataract surgery. While defined as a "Class-A" surgical suite, these surgical locations offer significant advantages over traditional Hospital ORs and ASCs, however also come with unique challenges. I hope to lay out these unique pros and cons as we discuss the viability of In-office cataract surgery.
  • Educational objectives:  In-office surgery is just beginning to gain traction and many still do not know the advantages and disadvantages over traditional ASCs and whether this is something worth pursuing in their practice.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   Yes
  • Notes:   
+ Ditta, Lauren -- "Impairment Management- What is Our Deficit?"

  • Summary:  Ophthalmologists are trained to be experts at disease management. However, many patients come to us with marked visual impairment or reach a point in their care where they may be permanently disabled with irreversible vision loss. Despite this, many ophthalmologists struggle to employ strategies for impairment management, such as referral for vision rehabilitation services for patients with visual disability. By shifting perspective to create a more inclusive mindset and humanizing issues surrounding disability, we gain empathy for the diverse needs of patients with low vision and blindness, as well as for family members caring for individuals with low vision and blindness.
  • Educational objectives:  The talk will use the concept of “wizard technology” in low vision and blindness to demonstrate how a team building exercise can promote behavioral changes when caring for patients who are visually impaired and blind..
  • Schedule Restrictions:  Not Wednesday or Thursday.  Will be there Monday and Tuesday.
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   Yes
  • Notes:   Video with audio embedded in PPT 
Ellis, George-- "Frontalis Flaps: My First Cases"
 
  • Summary: A report on an initial series or frontalis flap/plications for myogenic (congenital) ptosis.
  • Educational objectives: Lack of exposure to indication, procedure and results frontals flap/plication surgery
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:  
 Estopinal, Chris-- "Zoster Eye Disease Study"
 
  • Summary: We will review the results of the Zoster Eye Disease Study, which aimed to determine whether suppressive valacyclovir compared with placebo delays the occurrence of new or worsening stromal keratitis, endothelial keratitis, iritis, or dendriform epithelial keratitis during 12 months of treatment and if treatment benefit persisted at 18 months. The primary outcome did not show a benefit of suppressive valacyclovir treatment at 12 months, but secondary study outcomes showed treatment superiority at the 18-month end point and reduced number of multiple episodes of keratitis or iritis at both 12 and 18 months, supporting consideration of 1 year of suppressive valacyclovir treatment for HZO.
  • Educational objectives: We will discuss the role of suppressive valacyclovir treatment for herpes zoster ophthalmicus based on the results of the Zoster Eye Disease Study.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  Would prefer latter half of the meeting. Keith Baratz may participate in the presentation if he can make it, and he'd be there later in the meeting
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   Yes
  • Notes:   See Baratz abstract.  Chris and Keith are speaking about similar topics.  Their talks should be given together and discussed together.
Ford, Carla -- "Will We Ever Get A Real Treatment for Dry Eye Syndrome?
 
  • Summary: 
  • Educational objectives:  Discuss current treatments of dry eye and compare effectiveness of various treatments.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
Frankfort, Benjamin -- "SSRIs treat everything….even glaucoma?"
 
  • Summary: One of the critical benefits provided by “Big Data” is fodder for new hypotheses. This talk will track an ongoing project in the Frankfort lab that would not be possible without several sources of Big Data, used in conjunction and at several stages. We will explore an observation linking SSRI use to neuroprotection in POAG and the verification of this observation using an independent data set. We will navigate the complex landscape of serotonin signaling to establish a potential mechanistic framework by which serotonin signaling occurs in retinal ganglion cells and modifies glaucoma outcomes.
  • Educational objectives:  Mechanisms of glaucoma pathogenesis are constantly evolving and there is an ongoing need to integrate new observations into our clinical framework.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Interested in moderating/leading anything related to: Glaucoma, education (any level), and NIH funding/biomedical research
Goel, Sonny -- "Evidence-Based Guidelines for Keratorefractive Lenticule Extraction Surgery"
 
  • Summary: KLex procedures like SMILE are being performed without formal guidelines for patient screening. The Refractive Surgery Group of Chinese Ophthalmologist Association in partnership with the International Society of Refractive Surgery developed evidence-based guidelines using the WHO guidebook using the Appraisal of Guidelines for research and Evaluation Tool II. This was recently published in Ophthalmology April 2025
  • Educational objectives:  The talk will help to clarify the screening tests required to be performed to properly deem a patient an appropriate candidate for KLEx.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   Yes
  • Notes:   
Gold, Robert -- "Terry Bergstrom History Talk -- The AESC 50 Years Ago"
 
  • Summary: A review of the AESC program topics from the annual meeting 50 years ago.
  • Educational objectives:  Compare scientific thought and clinical topics from today to 1975 in order to gain an appreciation of the advancements in ophthalmology over that period of time.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
Gold, Robert -- "OMIC Risk Management Session:  Lessons Learned: When Safety Protocols Fail"
 
  • Summary: A review of cases from a risk management standpoint
  • Educational objectives:  By learning from the experiences of others, the audience will learn how to avoid errors or situations which potentially could result in harm to patients or malpractice claims..
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Separate early-morning breakfast session
Hagedorn, Curtis -- "Current approaches to managing the most advanced diabetic retinopathy"
 
  • Summary: This will mainly be a surgical video talk showing some of the most difficult surgical diabetic retinopathy cases. Surgical cases with massive neovascularization and tractional and combined retinal detachments will be presented. Discussion of surgical adjuncts like anti-VEGFs, kenalog, and brilliant blue will be incorporated into this presentation.
  • Educational objectives:  Deciding how to approach the most severe diabetic retinopathy cases is always challenging, sharing these unique experiences can help surgeons in future cases.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   "Special" symposium... Ocular complications of colonoscopies. Epley and Welcome telling their personal stories. ;-)
Hall, Edward -- "Patchy Ischemic Retinal Whitening in Sturge Weber Syndrome"
 
  • Summary: A 44 year-old man with Sturge Weber Syndrome (SWS) and a history of choroidal hemangioma presented with acute onset of blurred vision in his left eye. Visual acuity had declined from a baseline of 20/40 to 20/200 in the left eye. Intracocular pressure (IOP) was elevated and dilated fundus examination showed patchy ischemic retinal whitening (PIRW) in a distribution inconsistent with the retinal arteriolar supply and mainly affecting watershed areas such as the temporal raphe. Fluorescein angiography did not show evidence of acute arteriolar or capillary nonperfusion (consistent with previous reports of PIRW), but Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) demonstarted inner retinal hyperreflectivity consistent with ischemic insult. With conservative management including IOP reduction, hydration, and low-dose aspiring, visual acuity gradually improved back to baseline over the next 3 months, but OCT showed inner retinal atrophy in the areas of ischemic injury. This is the first known report of PIRW in the context of SWS, and is though to be due to a compartment syndrome-like effect related to underlying choroidal congestion/hemangioma and elevated IOP.
  • Educational objectives:  The purpose of this paper is to illustrate rare findings as well as a potentially novel mechanism for ischemic retinal insult..
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Willing to moderate retina-related topics
Henderer, Jeffrey D. -- "Screening for Diabetes in Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Academy of Ophthalmology State-wide Screening Effort"
 
  • Summary:  For the past several years, we have organized a Philadelphia diabetic screening day with Wills, Temple and Penn. This year we expanded it to include all the academic medical programs around the state on a day that that was recognized as "Diabetic Screening Day in PA." This talk will summarize our efforts to expand diabetic retinopathy screening at the state level and present the results of the first year of the effort.
  • Educational objectives:  The audience will learn more about screening for diabetes and how their practice can participate.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  Prefer speaking on Monday
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
Hildebrand, P. Lloyd -- "Digital Design for an Academic Eye Institute"
 
  • Summary:  The Eye Institute of Nevada (EIN) is a 501(c)3, public-private partnership between the UNLV Kerkorian School of Medicine and the Nevada Vision Foundation to establish an academic eye institute of the future in Las Vegas. A foundational principle is a comprehensive digital infrastructure to support all clinical, educational, research, and business operations. A key component of this is a robust clinical data management system (CDMS). Driven by five objectives, a seven-phase project plan has been created, and a governance structure has been developed. Special design considerations are integrated into the planning process and key performance indicators will be used to determine progress. Meticulous planning, sophisticated technology adoption, and thorough stakeholder engagement, the CDMS project will position EIN to lead in clinical excellence and innovation.
  • Educational objectives:  This lecture presents a systematic project plan to develop a comprehensive clinical data management system for an academic eye institute
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
Kishor, Krishna-- "Incidence of Acute Uveitis after Starting a Prostaglandin Analog Compared with Other Classes of Glaucoma Medications"
 
  • Summary: Purpose - To assess rates of uveitis among patients starting topical glaucoma therapy.Methods: Using data from the Sight Outcomes Research Collaborative (SOURCE), we identified glaucoma patients started on topical glaucoma medications: prostaglandin analogues (PGAs), beta-blockers (BBs), alpha agonists (AAs), and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (CAIs). We examined the rates of uveitis within 3 months of initiating therapy across glaucoma medications.Results: Out of 67,517 patients (average age 67.3 years, 59% female) with no history of chronic uveitis, only 567 patients (0.87%) developed uveitis within 3 months of initiating the therapy. Uveitis rates for PGA, BB, AA, and CAI users were 0.32%, 1.95%, 1.63%, and 1.68%, respectively. Non-PGA users had a roughly 6-fold higher uveitis risk compared to those starting on PGAs (P<0.001 for all comparisons). Findings were similar in a cohort of patients with chronic uveitis.Conclusions: PGAs showed lower uveitis risk than other therapies, debunking concerns over inflammatory potential.
  • Educational objectives: In patients with glaucoma, topical medications are essential for managing intraocular pressure, but concerns about uveitis as a side effect persist in patients starting on prostaglandin analogs, especially those with a history of chronic uveitis.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Willing to moderate discussion on digital health trends
Lee, Tom -- "Navigating Grief and Loss"
 
  • Summary: As physicians we have perfected the art of a planned life. From the start of college to end of fellowship we follow a predetermined schedule that can span 15 years. The goal is to land in a practice that can last us the rest of our lives. This predictably gives comfort knowing how the rest of our lives will be, until it isn’t.Life is anything but predictable. Change can happen at any time. Even in the most intentional life, failure, loss and grief can strike without notice. In this talk I will draw on my personal experiences and describe how to look at grief and loss in a way that provides a path forward.
  • Educational objectives: The goal will be how to handle situations of failure and loss create
  • Schedule Restrictions:  Maybe the first day
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
+ Lee, Wendy -- "Travel Like a Champ"
 
  • Summary: This talk will provide tips for traveling efficiently, including compact packing, points strategies and finding the right deals, as well as tips before, during and after travel to keep you on your toes.
  • Educational objectives:  Based on personal experience, these tips will address gaps in travel strategy knowledge that lead to less efficient use of time. space and money.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Interested in moderating/leading oculoplastics symposium
Lobo-Chan, Ann-Marie -- "3 cases per week…the great masquerader is everywhere"
 
  • Summary: Recent media reports have highlighted an increase in cases of ocular involvement in patients with syphilis, particularly in the Chicago area. Purpose: To report on a series of patients with ocular syphilis, including an increasing number of female patients and patients who have developed chronic inflammation despite adequate treatment. Characteristic clinical presentations and review of testing and treatment will be discussed.
  • Educational objectives:  This talk will educate ophthalmologists on a diverse array of clinical presentations and challenges in the management of ocular syphilis patients..
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
+ Luo, Caesar -- "Old Habits Die Hard: Evaluating the Clincal Cross Reactivity of Penicllin and Cephalosporins"
 
  • Summary: Commonly cited cross reactivity between penicillins and cephalosporins is 10% due to the R1 side chain, leading to the avoidance of cephalosporins in the setting of documented penicillin allergy. However, the advent of newer generation cephalosporins may reduce that risk, perhaps even<1%. In a large community hospital setting in Northern California, the standard of care for the ophthalmology department (45 members) utilizes vancomycin rather than cefazolin in the setting of documented penicillin allergy regardless of reported reaction. In consideration of the advantages of cefazolin, including broad Gram positive coverage, reduced cost, reduced risk of hemorrhagic occlusive retinal vasculitis, and increased risk of vancomycin resistance, is it a consideration to change back to cefazolin even in penicillin allergic patients? This is a consecutive, single surgeon case series of 6 patients between January 2025 to June 2025 with documented penicillin allergy without history of anaphylaxis. All patients were administered subconjunctival cefazolin following vitreoretinal surgery and monitored in operative recovery suite, one day, and one week following surgery. There was no evidence of hypersensitivity at any point in the followup period in any patient. The use of cefazolin may be safe to use in penicillin allergic patients without a history of anaphylaxis, although larger ophthalmic studies should be performed
  • Educational objectives:  This case series addresses the potentially lower than perceived risk of cross reactivity between penicillin and cephalosporins in ophthalmic surgery.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
Maltzman, Jeff -- "Partners Gone Wild- Adventures in Unprofessionalism"
 
  • Summary: Physicians are human, so it's quite likely that we will all experience a colleague's dark side at some point. This talk will review our group's recent experience with a senior partner who engaged in significant, pervasive unprofessional behavior that ultimately led to his being removed from the practice. Thoughts about what we did well and what we did less well will be shared, along with suggestions for how these situations can be addressed if experienced in your practice.
  • Educational objectives: Physicians are likely to experience occasional unprofessional or inappropriate behavior in group practice and should proactively consider strategies for managing such situations.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  NOT Monday
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   n/a (no CME)
  • Notes:   
Melendez, Robert -- "Business Resources for the entire Ophthalmology Team"
 
  • Summary: Review business resources to help each subspecialty in ophthalmology as well as the entire Eyecare team.Topics: AI in Ophthalmology, Marketing, Leadership, Finance, Entrepreneurship and more. Review 5 years of business resources from our magazine, Ophthalmology Business Minute. www.OphthalmologyBusinessMinute.com
  • Educational objectives: Provide business resources to help the entire ophthalmology team from Administrator to Ophthalmologist.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
Miller, Darby D. -- "Advocacy SYMPOSIUM"
 
  • Summary: 
  • Educational objectives:  The symposium will address knowledge gaps in state and federal advocacy issues facing ophthalmologists and our patients.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Participants - Sid Gicheru, Andrea Tooley, David Epley
O'Banion, Jacquelyn-- "Seeing Too Much: A Ten-Year Trajectory of Consult Overload"
 
  • Summary: We will review the 10 year ophthalmology consult trend at a tertiary care, county hospital of an academic institution. The growing volume of consults is likely multifactorial. We will review the data, the changes in community ophthalmology and discuss potential solutions.
  • Educational objectives:  This presentation will provide evidence of the growing demand and burden on academic centers that many feel secondary to shifts in healthcare and healthcare delivery.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   if needed I can moderate a symposium but as a somewhat newbie, happy to listen rather than lead
 Parke, D. Wilkin-- "One Fellowship Program's Experience Committing to Pneumatic Retinopexy"
 
  • Summary: Despite extensive published data in support of its effectiveness, pneumatic retinopexy remains variably utilized by retina practices. This may be due in part to the perception that the procedure has a steep learning curve and poor results in inexperienced hands. Our practice utilization of pneumatic retinopexy increased over the last eight years, performed predominantly by our fellows. This is a review of our experience implementing pneumatic retinopexy, our outcomes, and the adjustments we found successful.
  • Educational objectives:  The addition of pneumatic retinopexy to a retina practice's treatment patterns can be done relatively quickly with good clinical outcomes.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  NOT Thursday (update)
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
 Patel, Purnima Sharad-- "Leveraging AI to Streamline Clinical Operations"
 
  • Summary: I will provide an overview of Artificial Intelligence use in medicine especially clinical operations and provide examples of implementation in my clinic. The positives and negatives as well as the learning curve and limitations.
  • Educational objectives:  As AI makes huge advancements, we must stay up too dat on how best to implement these powerful tools.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  NOT Wednesday or Thursday
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
Plager, David-- "What's new in strabismus (yes, really)"
 
  • Summary: Strabismus is sometimes looked at as a technology and innovation free zone (by non-strabismologists), but not so fast! A survey was taken of a group of the nation's leading strabismologists to learn what the most significant surgical innovations in strabismus have occured in the last 40 years, i.e. since their fellowship training. It turns out that there have been some very significant innovations since the days of Parks/von Noorden/Jampolsky that have improved patient's lives.
  • Educational objectives:  The audience will learn about the most significant surgical innovations in strabismus in the last 40 years.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
 Puente, Michael-- "Four-year outcomes from an eye clinic for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities"
 
  • Summary: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have high rates of ophthalmic disease, yet these patients often face systemic barriers to receiving high-quality eyecare. In 2021, the University of Colorado Department of Ophthalmology created a monthly comprehensive ophthalmology clinic for adults with IDD, staffed by pediatric ophthalmologists and optometrists. In this presentation, we will discuss four years of data and outcomes from this clinic, as well as ongoing opportunities and challenges in caring for this growing patient population in ophthalmology.  Be prepared and motivated to offer high-quality eye care to patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities in your community.
  • Educational objectives:  Many patients with intellectual disability struggle to receive high-quality eye care due to systemic barriers to care.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   Yes
  • Notes:   
Raju, Leela -- "Lessons for and from International Ophthalmology (PANEL DISCUSSION)"
 
  • Summary: A panel of AESC members will discuss lessons learned and how to successfully plan for and carry out international outreach trips. This will include surgical techniques, planning for how to conduct outreach, recognizing limits of outreach work, and how to maximize outcomes during and after trips.
  • Educational objectives: There is great deal of interest in global ophthalmology work but many physicians lack the knowledge to carry out a successful outreach.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  NOT Monday
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Charles Cole and 2 other members will participate
Ratchitskaya, Aleksandra  -- "The Role of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Eye Diseases"
 
  • Summary: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) mimic physiologic, glucose- dependent insulin release and are currently indicated to treat diabetes and obesity with co-morbidities. Various studies have assessed the impact of GLP-1RAs on ocular diseases, however there remains conflicting evidence for select ocular diseases and prospective studies are lacking.This presentation will focus on the ophthalmic endpoints and findings from the major phase 3 GLP-1RA clinical trials, the proposed mechanisms of action for potential ocular protective effects including neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties, their effects on specific ocular diseases, current gaps and debates surrounding GLP-1RA impact on ophthalmologic disease, and areas of future research.
  • Educational objectives: The is conflicting evidence on the effect of the GLP-1 receptor agonists on eye diseases including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and optic neuropathy.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  Not on Monday
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Willing to moderate
Reiser, Bibiana Jin -- "A Regression Out of the Mean: Why I Decided to Go Back to School"
 
  • Summary: As I became a true empty nester...where my ex-husband even took my dog as the last kid left for college, I felt that I needed to do something, finally, for myself. I needed more than the routine of going to work to fix exploding eyeballs or melting corneas then return home to an empty house. Instead, in true nerd fashion, I decided to go back to school. It was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life.....one in which I got to choose where and how I would grow in this next phase in my life.
  • Educational objectives: Lifestyle Moves: More to life than work
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Willing to moderate discussion - Ped. cataract, cornea, glaucoma
Robbins, Shira -- "ROP case: A California thing"
 
  • Summary: This case presentation represents a disturbing scenario when medical science contradicts itself and the potential social repercussions.
  • Educational objectives: Highlights the crossover of our roles as physicians, voices of reason, and superheroes
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Willing to moderate any session
Saini, Arvind -- "How a visit becomes a payment: the basics of the revenue cycle process"
 
  • Summary: Understanding the fundamental elements of revenue cycle management is important for the viability of medical practices so we can continue to provide care. Having a working knowledge and being able to take control, empowers practices to increase their collections, budget, and hold their billing companies accountable.
  • Educational objectives: Most physicians do not understand the details of patients payments and the steps to posting payments after a claim is filed.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
Tao, Jeremiah -- "Ozempic Face"
 
  • Summary: The use of Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonists is ever increasing. In addition to treating diabetes, these medications are often taken for aesthetic benefits of weight loss. This talk explores facial changes associated with rapid weight loss and data of facial measurements of a cohort of patients on these medications compared to matched controls.
  • Educational objectives:  This lecture will characterize facial features of rapid weight loss due to GLP-1 receptor agonist medications.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   Willing to be a moderator or lead a symposium
Tooley, Andrea -- "A Lighthearted Guide to Survival Gardening"
 
  • Summary: In this talk, I will share all my tips and tricks to starting and growing your own garden, food storage, and survival prep for when it all goes down. We'll touch on seed starting, planting, growing, canning, dehydrating, food storage, and more.
  • Educational objectives:  This lecture addresses knowledge gaps in how to grow and store your own food.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   n/a
  • Notes:   Willing to be a moderator.
Tran, Ann -- "Automated Periorbital Measurement using Deep Learning"
 
  • Summary: Automated periorbital measurement using deep learning offers a reproducible alternative to manual assessment for diagnosing and monitoring oculoplastic conditions. We developed a segmentation-based pipeline that extracts key anatomical distances from clinical images, achieving sub-millimeter accuracy across more than 40 periorbital features, including MRD1 and MRD2 across healthy and diseased eyes. Our model exceeded intergrader agreement thresholds and outperformed state-of-the-art approaches. We have shown that we can further improve the performance of periorbital distance prediction by incorporating unlabeled data in the training process using semi supervised learning techniques. We applied these measurements to classify craniofacial and oculoplastic syndromes (e.g., TED, Crouzon, ptosis), achieving 77–80% accuracy when training and testing on images from the same dataset. In a separate analysis, we used periorbital distances to predict untaped Goldmann visual field severity in ptotic eyelids, achieving 71–72% accuracy with AUROCs ~0.73. These findings support automated periorbital metrics as generalizable, interpretable features for real-world screening and classification, especially where access to subspecialty care is limited. Future work will explore multimodal AI strategies to further enhance diagnostic performance..
  • Educational objectives: Periorbital distances extracted via deep learning models can aid disease diagnosis and Goldmann visual field estimation, supporting screening tools for oculoplastic disease.s
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   NOT Wednesday or Thursday
  • Notes:   
Tsai, James C. -- "Angle-Closure Glaucoma: New Perspectives"
 
  • Summary: Angle-closure glaucoma, a condition in which the iris blocks the drainage angle of the eye, causing a rapid elevation in intraocular pressure, can lead to significant optic nerve damage and vision loss. After a patent laser iridotomy, angle closure may persist due to a variety of conditions, including plateau iris, a common cause of angle closure in younger patients. Recent clinical studies demonstrate a low rate of primary angle closure glaucoma development in patients diagnosed as primary angle closure suspects. Longitudinal management of primary angle closure suspects may include conservative follow-up with a smartphone flashlight in the management plan.
  • Educational objectives:  This lecture provides new perspectives on the management of angle-closure glaucoma suspects.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  Not Wednesday or Thursday (can speak on Monday or Tuesday)
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
Villegas, Victor -- "Intravitreal Therapy in Pediatric Patients"
 
  • Summary: Intravitreal injections have become an increasingly valuable tool in the management of pediatric retinal diseases, offering targeted, vision-saving therapies for conditions previously considered difficult to treat. This presentation provides a comprehensive overview of pediatric intravitreal injections, emphasizing their growing importance in the field of pediatric ophthalmology. A review of the unique anatomy and developmental differences of the pediatric eye highlights the specialized considerations required for successful intravitreal therapy in this population.We explore the major indications for pediatric intravitreal injections—including retinopathy of prematurity, retinoblastoma, Coats disease, familial exudative vitreoretinopathy, and pediatric macular edema—and discuss the rationale. Practical aspects of the procedure are detailed, including pre-injection evaluation, parental consent, anesthesia options, injection techniques, and post-procedural care. The presentation also addresses the safety profile and potential complications of intravitreal injections in children, offering strategies to minimize risks and manage adverse events. Special attention is given to age-specific challenges, psychological considerations, and ethical and legal factors relevant to treating pediatric patients. Finally, we review recent research, clinical trials, and advancements in technology that are shaping the future of pediatric intravitreal therapy. By synthesizing current evidence and expert practices, this presentation aims to enhance clinical knowledge and inspire continued innovation in the care of visually impaired children through safe and effective intravitreal injection techniques.
  • Educational objectives:  This talk addresses the critical knowledge gap in understanding the unique anatomical, procedural, and safety considerations of intravitreal injections in pediatric patients, which are often underrepresented in ophthalmology training and practice.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  Not Monday or Tuesday
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   
Williams, Basil -- "Impact of Geocode-Based Social Drivers of Health on Disease Severity at Presentation and Progression of Diabetic Retinopathy"
 
  • Summary: Diabetic Retinopathy is the leading cause of vision loss in working age adults in the United States. With the number of people with diabetes mellitus expected to continue to rise over the next 25 years, the impact of diabetic retinopathy will only continue to progress. In order to stratify the patients with the highest risk, we aimed to evaluate the impact geocode-based deprivation indices like the Area Deprivation Index and Social Vulnerability Index on the severity of diabetic retinopathy at presentation, disease progression, and development of complications. We explored the COSMOS database, which is a de-identified aggregate of patients seen in any health center using the EPIC electronic health record.
  • Educational objectives:  As a community we are trying to understand how to allocate resources to our most vulnerable patients to have the biggest health impact, and this study helps elucidate which patients with diabetic retinopathy are the the highest risk of disease progression.
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   Yes
  • Notes:   I am happy to assist on any retina, equity, or ocular oncology topics.
Pamela Williams -- "Where Have All the Pediatric Ophthalmologists Gone?"
 
  • Summary: Pediatric Ophthalmology is facing a workforce shortage. Dwindling numbers of residents are choosing to go into pediatric ophthalmology and increasing numbers are retiring. This talk will examine some of the reasons residents report they are not choosing pediatric ophthalmology as a career and what can be done about it. I will discuss some of the AAPOS initiatives that have been introduced to try to address the workforce shortage.
  • Educational objectives:  Workforce initiatives
  • Schedule Restrictions:  None
  • Conflict of interest disclosure received:   
  • Notes:   

 
Last Updated on Saturday, June 28, 2025 01:21 PM
 

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