Video Journal of Cataract, Refractive, and Glaucoma Surgery celebrates 40-year anniversary
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Even after Robert H. Osher, MD, finished his training and three fellowships, he did not feel comfortable as a cataract surgeon.
He felt that there was still much to be learned about the relatively new procedure called phacoemulsification which only 1% of surgeons were performing.
“I realized I couldn’t learn a surgical procedure from a speaker at the podium, nor could I learn the delicate maneuvers from reading a publication. So I would hop on a plane every couple of weeks and fly to the West Coast to see Dick Kratz or Bob Sinskey,” he said. “I would fly to the middle of the country to observe Jim Little. I would go South and watch Norm Jaffe. I would go East and visit Charlie Kelman.”
During this time, the video tape was first coming onto the scene. Osher saw an opportunity to learn from the masters without flying all over the country.
“I was spending so much time on planes and so much money flying around that I realized it might be a lot better to bring the surgery to me instead,” he said.
Osher realized that the solution was video, which would provide a more effective and convenient opportunity to learn.
“When I introduced the video symposium format in 1981, it was obvious that we could develop a better education system for colleagues who wanted to become better surgeons, especially young ophthalmologists in training,” he said.
From the positive reaction to his video symposium, Osher set out to create a video journal that would improve the way ophthalmic surgeons learned their craft. After a few years of preparation and with the help of key sponsors, Osher launched what is now called the Video Journal of Cataract, Refractive, and Glaucoma Surgery in 1985. He just released the first issue of its 40th year entitled “It’s All About Science” featuring a dozen of the best scientific videos from the past 5 years.
A lot has changed in the 4 decades since the introduction of the VJCRGS. Osher became a fixture at conferences around the world where he would present his video symposium and then hand out a trunkful of VHS tapes. Osher said the journal went through several versions of physical media as technology evolved before Steve Speares, current executive director of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, told Osher about a popular new thing called the internet.
“Mr. Speares said, ‘You’re not going to believe this, but you’re not going to have to carry or send out all the videos anymore,’” Osher said.
Osher credits Speares for convincing him to transition to the internet — at VJCRGS.com — early on. It saved money on postage, reduced the inconvenience of carrying tapes and spread the journal around the world.
“We had surgeons in Cape Town, New Zealand and Iceland watching every program and writing to express their appreciation,” Osher said. “We became a free member-benefit of virtually every cataract society in the world.”
Osher believes a lot of the journal’s success comes from his willingness to travel to international conferences.
“I’m a lifetime Diamond flyer with Delta as a result of accepting nearly all invitations to teach. Moreover, I am obsessed with watching every single video from the film festivals and video competitions,” he said.
The Video Journal has been able to quickly produce issues demonstrating cutting-edge techniques as well as entire programs on challenging cases and complication management. “We were able to introduce everything that is clinically relevant, demonstrated in detail by leading surgeons from 6 continents,” Osher said.
Through partnerships with leading ophthalmology societies, Osher estimates that the journal has between 25,000 and 30,000 surgeon viewers.
“We’ve accomplished our original mission to provide the highest-quality video education to surgeons worldwide,” he said.
Osher is also proud that the journal could offer some humor to go along with the latest in surgical techniques, and he has relished the opportunity to honor some of ophthalmology’s biggest legends.
“We had an entire hour on Charlie Kelman’s career when he passed away,” Osher said. “Because of how well that program was received, we’ve produced tributes to other legendary ophthalmologists, like George Waring III, Alan Crandall and Spencer Thornton.”
As for the future of VJCRGS, a lot depends on how long Osher wants to keep going. As chief editor, he still puts in the work to bring together content for every hour-long quarterly program. He also has a team of advisors to make sure he does not miss anything important from around the world of ophthalmology.
However, Osher has no plans to stop or pass the torch anytime soon.
“I learn so much from every issue and teaching remains a top priority for me. You can’t exist for 40 years unless you honor your commitment and your word, and my promise was to provide the highest-quality video education to cataract surgeons around the planet,” he said. “For 40 years I’ve been doing this, and I promise you the next 40 years I’ll work even harder.”
Collapse
Healio Interviews
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts