ASCRS 2023 innovation highlights

The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) hosted their Annual Meeting in sunny San Diego, California, from May 5-8, 2023.

The ASCRS Annual Meeting is dedicated to anterior segment surgical education and is widely regarded as essential for enhancing clinical knowledge and surgical skills. This year’s meeting focused on therapeutic, surgical, and administrative topics; showcased the newest clinical techniques; and unveiled the latest industry innovations.

The editorial team at Optometry Times and Ophthalmology Times® provided multimedia coverage of the conference’s scientific program, including articles and video interviews with noted thought leaders. Here are some of the many highlights.

Cataract and cornea

The safety of cataract surgeries in an office space

Lance Kugler, MD, recapped his presentation and findings on the safety of office space cataract surgeries in an office space.

Analysis in 2 subgroups of routine cataract surgery

Edward Hu, MD, PhD, discussed his paper on the single surgeon retrospective comparative analysis of 517 eyes in 2 subgroups of routine cataract surgery.

Cenegermin 0.002%: Effective for corneal nerve regeneration in neurotrophic keratitis

Ana Balbuena-Pareja, MSc, explained how cenegermin-bkbj ophthalmic solution 0.002% (Oxervate; Dompé) had a positive effect on corneal nerve regeneration and sensation in patients with neurotrophic keratitis.

Technological innovation

The introduction of SeeLuma and more

Anthony Wallace, vice president and general manager of US Surgical for Bausch + Lomb, discussed the introduction of SeeLuma, a fully digital surgical visualization platform, and more.

Keratoconus

Signs of progressive keratoconus in the hair and eyes

Marcony Santhiago, MD, pointed out that there are subtle differences in patients with keratoconus that was progressing compared with patients whose disease was stable and healthy control subjects.

Wills Eye Hospital research on corneal swelling and dynamics during corneal collagen cross-linking

Zeba Syed, MD, of Wills Eye Hospital, discussed their research on corneal swelling and dynamics during corneal collagen cross-linking.

Progressive keratoconus in older patients with delayed corneal cross-linking treatment

William Trattler, MD, discussed progressive keratoconus in older patients with delayed corneal cross-linking treatment.

Glaucoma

Combination MIGs may reduce treatment burden for patients

Xiongfei Liu, MD, discusses efficacy and safety of combining 2 microinvasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) in patients with open angle glaucoma.

Preservative-free vs benzalkonium chloride–preserved latanoprost ophthalmic solution: No relevant efficacy differences for treating primary open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension

Jason Bacharach, MD, presented results, highlighting that a large phase 3 clinical trial demonstrated no relevant differences between the 2 formulations.

Comparing outcomes of 2 different trabecular MIGS devices with or without ab interno canaloplasty for patients with glaucoma

Mitchell C. Shultz, MD, shared insights from his presentation comparing patient results of the Hydrus Microstent and the iStent inject W with or without ab interno canaloplasty.

Dry eye

Negative effects of several contraceptive modalities on dry eye

Women who use contraceptives may have a higher risk of developing symptoms of dry eye, depending on the type and on how many methods they may ever have used, according to investigators from the University of Florida in Gainesville. First author Lucie Moore, BSc, reported the results.

Eye safety and vision correction

Clinical trials find CSF-1 provides visual improvement in mild to moderate presbyopia

Preeya Gupta, MD, reported clinical trial results at the 2023 ASCRS Annual Meeting. These findings showed that CSF-1, a low-dose pilocarpine with an optimized formulation, demonstrated significant 2-line improvement from baseline.