May 19, 2015
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Strampelli Medal lecturer encourages surgeons to continue learning and embrace new technologies

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MILAN — Never stop learning, and embrace new technologies that improve the quality of results and the life of patients. This was the message of the Benedetto Strampelli SOI Medal Lecture 2015, given by Donald N. Serafano, MD, at the annual joint meeting of Ocular Surgery News and the Italian Society of Ophthalmology.

“The career of a surgeon may span 30 to 40 years, during which major advances in techniques and technology will occur. We must continue to learn and understand this technology. Do not delegate this understanding to manufacturing representatives and technicians,” he said.

Donald N. Serafano

Integrated systems are a hallmark of today’s technological progress. Formulating a diagnosis and then planning and executing surgery entail multiple steps from the office to the OR, which require careful monitoring and coordination.

“Integration office-to-OR has become very important. There are many steps along the way, from multiple separate diagnostic tools using multiple separate formulas and calculators to multiple data transfer in preparation for surgery. At every step, errors might occur. Integrated systems allow us to plan all this in the office, avoiding many errors along the way,” Serafano said.

Among integrated systems that incorporate the technology for imaging, planning and guiding surgery, “from biometry to IOL positioning,” Serafano mentioned the Zeiss Cataract Suite, the Verion image guided system (Alcon), the ORA system with VerifEye (Alcon) and the TrueVision Cassini Lensar system.

Also among today’s great advancements, he said, is femtosecond lasers, which have addressed many areas of improvement in cataract surgery, enhancing accuracy, predictability and stability of results. - by Michela Cimberle

Disclosure: Serafano reports he is a consultant to Alcon Surgical.