‘Telling It Like It Is!’ enhances already-robust lineup

Dr. OsherSarasota, FL-The fourth annual “Cataract Surgery: Telling It Like It Is!” meeting here Jan. 16 to 19, 2014, promises to cover more ground than ever-adding sessions on glaucoma, retina, optical coherence tomography, cornea, neuro-ophthalmology, and practice management.

“We are totally re-engineering this meeting to add other disciplines, while continuing to give attendees encyclopedic coverage of the field of cataract surgery through lectures and hands-on experience,” said Robert H. Osher, MD, meeting chairman and professor of ophthalmology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH.

“It is no surprise that we have sold out each of our three previous meetings given that we have an all-star faculty that provides the highest quality uncensored education at an affordable price,” said Dr. Osher, who is also medical director emeritus of the Cincinnati Eye Institute, and editor of the Video Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. “If you only go to one cataract meeting this year, this should be it.”

More, more, more

After reading nearly 400 evaluations from the 2013 meeting, Dr. Osher decided to add “more faculty, more topics, and more fireworks! We want every attendee to depart Sarasota more confident about delivering the best possible surgical care.”

Dr. Osher stressed that the top-notch faculty is what really sets this course apart.

Among faculty members returning from last year are Richard Mackool, MD; Ike Ahmed, MD; Warren Hill, MD; Michael Snyder, MD; Lisa Arbisser, MD; Robert Weinstock, MD; and Bill Fishkind, MD.

New faces will include Deepinder K. Dhaliwal, MD, directing the cornea sessions; Daniel Miller, MD, PhD, and Christopher Riemann, MD, offering retina; Steven Vold, MD, and Anup Khatana, MD, on glaucoma; Michael Hater, MD, on cataract; and John Pinto on practice management. This year’s International Speaker is Fernando Trindade, MD, of Brazil, who has won multiple ASCRS Grand Prize Film Festival awards, Dr. Osher said.

The meeting does not offer CME credits (except for an Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Co. seminar on risk management). This allows presenters to be open and unrestricted in what they discuss, Dr. Osher said.

“The censors are uninvited,” he said. “We can teach the way we feel we should teach.”

The meeting will feature more wet labs than previous years. In addition, it will continue to offer some of its most popular sessions, including “The Mike and Ike Show,” a rapid-fire, Challenging Case session with videos from Drs. Ahmed and Snyder.

The popular new technology symposium will return again, this year featuring head-to-head comparisons of femtosecond lasers, toric IOLs, microscopes, and more. Many companies will participate. A blunt discussion of complications and how to manage them, and one on choosing IOLs, are other highly rated seminars that will return.

Preceding the meeting, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Dr. Osher will again offer his optional Wednesday Night at the Movies, where he shares the best videos from the archives of the Video Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. A buffet dinner is included at this event, which is held at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota Hotel.

“About 100 people typically attend this free pre-meeting night,” Dr. Osher said.

Also new this year, Dr. Osher has partnered with the American Academy of Ophthalmology to improve the meeting’s logistics.

“They are great meeting planners and are doing a great job organizing this one,” Dr. Osher said. “They have helped us find a way to accommodate 500 attendees this year, up from about 400 last year. It is coming together very well. We are thrilled to partner with them.”

He notes that the meeting offers an excellent value for the money (see “Meeting Logistics”), offering 12 hours a day of quality programming.

“We start at 7 a.m. and all of the chairs in the room are full until 7 p.m.,” he said. “Even the 10 p.m. event, ‘Late Night with Ike and Warren,’ is packed.”

“The attendees tell me they are very excited about the quality of the education and the unique environment,” Dr. Osher added. “People are hungry for this type of highly relevant surgical course-an honest, open interchange of ideas with diverse options.”

Meeting Logistics

·      Registration fees include general sessions, movie nights, tutorials, exhibits, New Technology Symposium, sponsored breakfasts, and lunches as noted on program agenda. Wet labs are an additional fee and are subject to class size limitations. For practicing physicians, the advance registration fee (register now to Dec. 18) is $550. The resident/fellow rate is $300. Onsite registration, if space allows, is $600.

·      Room blocks have been reserved at the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota and the Hyatt Regency Sarasota. The Wednesday Night at the Movies event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota; all other educational activities and events will be held at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. The Hyatt Regency and the Ritz-Carlton are within easy walking distance of each other.

·      Contact The Ritz-Carlton at 941/309-2000 or www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Sarasota/Contact/Default.htm. Room rate: single/double deluxe room $269 plus tax. Rates guaranteed through Dec. 20. Complimentary amenities for meeting attendees over program dates: Wi-Fi in hotel room, use of the resort fitness center, and turndown service.

·      Contact the Hyatt Regency Sarasota on Sarasota Bay at 941/ 953-1234 or http://www.sarasota.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html. Room Rate: single/double room $189 plus tax. Rates guaranteed through Dec. 16. Complimentary amenities for meeting attendees over program dates: Wi-Fi in hotel room, and use of the resort fitness center. Note: When making a reservation at the Hyatt, attendees will be asked to provide their “Guest Type.” Click on the drop-down menu and select “Attendee” from the list.

For more information about the meeting, visit http://www.cstellingitlikeitis.com.

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