Evolutionary mindset needed for refractive surgery
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BOSTON — Refractive surgery is a mindset that requires surgeons to constantly evolve and learn, according to a speaker at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting.
In the Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, Lecture, Renato Ambrósio Jr., MD, PhD, gave an overview on the goals of refractive surgery and how to achieve them.
“Refractive surgery should be defined as a scientific subspecialty in ophthalmology,” he said. “We talk about elective procedures that aim for refractive correction, but the main goal is patient satisfaction, and we drive that with quality of vision and quality of life.”
Ambrósio said the main refractive surgery is cataract surgery, but lens dysfunction is different from cataract, and this needs to be characterized to figure out when and how to use lens refractive surgery.
There is also a difference between standard cataract surgery and refractive cataract surgery. Some say the difference is in the outcome, the IOL or the use of laser, but Ambrósio said the difference is all about refractive planning.
In these cases, it is important to account for the detection of ectasia due to the possibility of its impact on the accuracy of IOL power calculations and how it will affect quality of vision. It is also important in cases in which a secondary laser vision correction is performed, including incisional keratotomy.
“You need to see if the cornea can handle that,” he said.
Ambrósio said there is a revolution in the evolution of OCT that includes a variety of machines and opportunities to incorporate artificial intelligence.
“The combination of OCT and the Pentacam (Oculus) is something that we’ve been waiting for a long time,” he said.
Ambrósio said the refractive surgery mindset is one that is always moving forward.
“We are all here to learn and evolve, to continue to evolve toward the best versions of ourselves, to always learn how to teach and serve, to understand and optimize, to acknowledge and flourish,” he said.
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Ambrosio R. Richard Lindstrom, MD, Lecture. Presented at: American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting; April 5-8, 2024; Boston.
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