Dear Fellow Surgeon:

I have always wanted to organize a unique and completely innovative teaching event that will set a new standard in ophthalmic surgical education.  For years, I toyed with the idea of creating such an event, but my surgical practice and lecture schedule left little time for me to tackle the details and responsibilities necessary for a successful symposium.  Then, all of a sudden, the planets aligned, and a sign was given indicating that it was the right time.  I am excited to announce Cataract Surgery: Telling It Like It Is! This perennial symposium will debut January 20-23, 2011 in Sarasota, Florida.  It will be a fitting swan song to a 30-year career as a teacher and referral cataract surgeon.

My goal is to organize the first ophthalmic meeting devoted entirely to challenging cases and the management of surgical complications.  As you know, I have devoted 3 decades teaching, co-authoring textbooks, and even contracting with the AAO to produce a new educational video series.  The enormous success of these short courses at the annual meetings of the AAO, ASCRS, ESCRS, Australia, Brazil, etc., leads me to believe that a more intense instructional course lasting a long weekend will be useful.

The most important ingredient of this symposium will be the faculty.  I have assembled five extraordinary surgeons whose expertise in managing complex cataract cases is unparalleled.  The faculty consists of Richard Mackool, MD, from New York; Ike Ahmed, MD, from Toronto; Warren Hill, MD, from Arizona; and Michael Snyder, MD, from the Cincinnati Eye Institute.  I’ve also invited Steve Charles, MD from Memphis to keep the faculty on their toes!  We have selected Sarasota as our destination because it does not require a journey to the other end of the world or gold bullion for food and shelter.  We’ve arranged accommodations at the Sarasota Ritz Carlton for very reasonable rates, and the course will be inexpensive.  In addition, the hotel will offer a host of activities that will also be reasonably priced, including championship golf, fishing expeditions, wildlife at Myakka National Park, and a wonderful theatre within walking distance of the Ritz. 

Attendees are invited to arrive on Thursday evening for an optional sponsored workshop and an opening reception.  The actual course will officially begin on Friday morning with an encyclopedic video review of complications.   Friday afternoon and evening will be free. We will resume Saturday morning with 4 hours of tough cases then Saturday afternoon and evening will be open.  Sunday morning we will tackle controversies as well as a “free for all” involving faculty and attendees … no holds barred!

The course will be sponsored by the Video Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Cincinnati. Bryn Mawr Communications, which publishes CRST and Eyetube.net, will be handling all logistical aspects of the meeting. The faculty will work incredibly hard to produce an extraordinary educational event.  We are debating whether or not CME will be offered, but we plan to discuss technologies and strategies without restrictions.  I will personally guarantee the quality of the education.  

For more details about this program and to register for the meeting, please click on the following link. www.cs2011sarasota.com.

I look forward to seeing you in Sarasota!

Sincerely,

Robert H. Osher, MD