EyeWorld India June 2021 Issue

A lcon hosted an en- gaging ALCONver- sation Asia-Pacific on Thursday April 22, 2021 for Key Opinion Leaders in ophthalmology. The hot topic of how the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved ophthalmology practice for surgeons, es- pecially in the Asia-Pacific region, provided vital insight to the future of cataract and refractive surgery practices. In the last year, practitioners have had to navigate the COVID-19 crisis by changing the way their institutions and clinics are run, implement- ing new safety protocols, and interacting with patients in a safe manner. Though navigating the hardships of a pandemic may present countless obstacles, the phy- sicians gathered at ALCON- versation concluded that managing healthcare amidst COVID-19 has brought about positive changes to ophthalmology care. At the beginning of the meeting, the group, led by Dr Ronald Yeoh, Singapore, reviewed survey results from 14 key opinion leaders on current practice trends for ophthalmologists. At this point in time, most surgeons have resumed all elective surgeries with almost half of the surgeons surveyed conducting surgeries at full capacity. Some countries like India are experiencing a huge second wave, and Singapore is not allowing visitors for medical tourism; so surgeons are still expe- riencing less than normal numbers of surgeries. Surgeons also reported more than 50% of current Impact of COVID-19: The New Normal for Asia-Pacific Ophthalmology Practices in 2021 consultations are conducted face-to-face. When there are in-person interactions and surgeries being conducted, a majority of surgeons re- quire ophthalmology staff to wear additional PPE, prac- tice distancing in the OR, and conduct temperature logs. Interestingly, many surgeons have looked into ways to change practice and drive efficiency in the clinic and OR: • streamline pre-operative and post-op-operative as- sessment. • explore new technologies in practice such as tele- medicine and 3D heads up surgery. • constantly thinking of protective measures for both staff and patients as well as technologies to help drive efficiency in practice and procedures. Dr. Norbert Pesztenlehrer, an international guest from Hungary, presented his per- spectives on the new normal in surgical planning for cata- ract surgery. Pre-meeting survey from 14 participants for ALCONversation Asia-Pacific 22 April 2021 Above: Dr. Norbert Pesztenlehrer Patient Cataract Flow Chart and operating suite using the 3D visualisation with NGENUITY ® . In his current cataract workflow, he explained the convenience of having the latest advanced biometer, ARGOS ® * , during preadmis- sion in the hospital "grey zone," connected through an internal network to VERION™ in the OR within the hospital "permissible zone."