POS Hosts  3^rd Annual Wet Lab

June 4 and June 5

The Pittsburgh Ophthalmology Society hosted the 3^rd Annual Ophthalmology Community Wet Lab: Yamane Technique and Iris Defect Repair Workshop at the UPMC Eye Center – Eye and Ear Institute on June 4 and June 5.

Two separate sessions were offered to maximum attendee participation, with each session offering a didactic portion and two-hour hands on workshop.

Thank you to the following companies who were instrumental in providing equipment, support staff and teaching assistance:   Bausch and Lomb and Microsurgical Technology.  The Society also thanks UPMC Eye and Ear for use of the wet lab for this worthwhile endeavor. 

A maximum of 10 physicians attended each session where they had opportunity to explore and learn the indications and surgical steps required for Yamane scleral IOL fixation technique and iris defect repair.

One-on-one learning and coaching were available, and each person was able to self-direct learning and practice opportunities. Attendees become familiar with tools for managing iris or pupillary defects; learned the indications and surgical steps required for Yamane scleral IOL fixation technique; and practiced successful steps for anterior vitrectomy by pars plana approach in the setting of unexpected vitreous presentation during cataract surgery.

Ian Conner, MD, PhD and Sharon L. Taylor, MD, FACS served as course directors and initiated the program offering.  Thank you to POS members Deepinder Dhaliwal, MD, Alex Mammen, MD and Thierry Verstraeten, MD who served as instructors and along with the directors and industry instructors, shared their expertise and pearls of wisdom with their colleagues.  

 Comments from participants were uniformly positive and the Society looks forward to offering sessions in 2020.  While we always plan to have vitrectomy practice available, we also welcome suggestions for future wet lab topics or for other educational sessions members would like to see offered.  If you have a skill set others would benefit from learning and practicing, please let us know.  Submit suggestions to Nadine Popovich, administrator, at npopovich@acms.org.

The Society thanks the following sponsors who provided instruction and equipment for the Program:

  Course Director Ian Conner, MD, PhD, (left) instructs participant Joel Brown, MD. Far right, Instructor Thierry Verstraeten, MD tutors attendee        Michaela Hickey, DO.

Instructor Thierry Verstraeten, MD assists Michaela Hickey DO at the 3^rd Annual Wet Lab, sponsored by the Pittsburgh Ophthalmology Society.