Q&A: ISRS reestablishes as independent society to broaden its international scope
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Key takeaways:
- The International Society of Refractive Surgery has reorganized as an independent organization.
- Deepinder K. Dhaliwal, MD, LAc, is president-elect of the society.
The International Society of Refractive Surgery, after 20 years as part of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, has reorganized as a separate and independent entity.
This new status is not a fracture or a schism but the result of a well-reasoned, unanimous decision taken concordantly and amicably by both parties.
To learn more about this reorganization and the future projects of the International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS), Healio spoke with Deepinder K. Dhaliwal, MD, LAc, president-elect of the ISRS.
Healio: How did ISRS come to the decision to become independent from AAO?
Dhaliwal: A little bit of history will help clarify the situation. ISRS was established as an independent society in the late 1970s. The founders were also some of the pioneers of refractive surgery: José Barraquer, Miles Friedlander, Casimir Swinger and Richard Troutman. The mission was to disseminate knowledge of this entirely new discipline, refractive surgery, and to develop a solid scientific basis worldwide. About 20 years ago, ISRS joined AAO to gain support during a financial crisis and help us mature and formalize the processes needed to become a fully viable society. The Academy has been a generous, excellent ally, with years of fruitful partnership. However, the time has come for us to become independent again, and the AAO has been entirely supportive of this transition, understanding that we are better as independent partners.
Healio: What are the benefits of this renewed independent status?
Dhaliwal: First, we are inherently a global, international society. We were established as such, and now we can better assert our international identity and fulfill our truly global mission: education and promotion of excellence in refractive surgery. And refractive surgery has evolved considerably over the decades, becoming more comprehensive in both technology and application. We can now work with all partners to ensure the refractive success of our patients and do this on a global scale.
Being independent will also allow us to maintain our international council, whose members are refractive surgery pioneers, educators and scientists who have helped shape our field. As a smaller group than the AAO, we can move more freely, make faster decisions and changes, and create new liaisons with international societies that focus on the same objectives. We still retain all the membership benefits, including the Journal of Refractive Surgery, and we have a new website that you can visit at ISRS.online.
Healio: Will anything change in your organizational structure?
Dhaliwal: Renato Ambrosio is currently our president. I am the president-elect, and we are part of an international executive committee. We are forming a number of subcommittees to increase member engagement and ensure that every member is heard and that true collaboration occurs. We especially want to create opportunities for young refractive surgeons to grow in our organization and have leadership roles. This is part of being committed to the future of refractive surgery.
Examples of our subcommittees include myopia control; young refractive surgeons; corneal biomechanics; innovation and industry relations; and educational evolution. It is important to note that these subcommittees are focused on both clinical and practical topics to ensure we have the ecosystem of refractive surgery represented and have ongoing touchpoints and interactions with our members.
We want to communicate with our members and receive input on what they want — this is an actualized global conversation on advancing refractive surgery.
Healio: What about your annual meeting and other educational initiatives?
Dhaliwal: We have established a new collaboration with the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons. In September, we will hold our next refractive surgery meeting before the ESCRS Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona was the hometown of José Barraquer, so it is the perfect place for the first of our annual meetings as an independent society. It will be a refractive surgery summit with the ESCRS, and the Brazilian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery is also involved. We are still discussing the future location of our annual meetings with our members, and we welcome input. Should they be in one region or rotate on different continents? What would you prefer? We are considering the various options and gathering opinions and information to meet the needs of our international membership.
We also plan many exciting global educational events throughout the year, partnering with companies supporting our goals. We used to do this as part of the Global Refractive Surgery program, where we offered A-to-Z courses in our subspecialty. We will continue along the same lines, providing high-level education on the various approaches, techniques and technologies of refractive surgery, and access to these courses will be one of our member benefits. And it is important to note — if you want to be involved with the ISRS, all you have to do is ask. We want to ensure all parties can be involved in this fast-paced, dynamic and ever-evolving specialty.
Healio: What are now, and will be in the future, your relations with the Academy?
Dhaliwal: In one word: fantastic. We are deeply grateful to the AAO, excited about our new chapter and looking forward to future collaboration with the AAO. Our mission is global, and the Academy pointed to this as a reason for letting us go our own way. And we said yes, it is time. We are ready to be independent once again.
For more information:
Deepinder K. Dhaliwal, MD, LAc, of the UPMC Vision Institute in Pittsburgh, can be reached at dhaliwaldk@upmc.edu.
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