ASCRS YES Connect Newsletter February 2025

Get to Know Your YES Clinical Committee Member:

Zeba Syed, MD

Cornea Fellowship Director, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia
Instagram:@corneasseur X:@zeba_almas

Why did you go into ophthalmology? I was drawn to ophthalmology and specifically the anterior segment because of the beauty of its anatomy and elegance of the surgeries. Anterior segment surgeries are also appealing because their impact is immediate, and they make such a huge difference in patients’ quality of life.

If you weren’t an ophthalmologist or even a doctor, what career would you like to try? I grew up with a household of pets (bunnies, a cat, parrots, guinea pigs, and hamsters!), so I probably would have been a veterinarian. I also enjoy number crunching and big data, so alternatively a data scientist.

What do you look forward to most at the ASCRS Annual Meeting? In addition to catching up with friends and mentors, I love learning about technologies and IOLs that are in the pipeline.

What place is on your travel wish list? Machu Picchu. It seems like a perfect blend of history, architecture, culture, and nature. Llamas are also adorable!

What’s your go-to movie theater snack? Popcorn with “Spicy Sriracha” seasoning, which I bring from home (I can’t help it, I’m South Asian).

Register for the Annual Meeting
Skills Transfer Lab Seats Are Filling Up Fast

Register for the 2025 ASCRS Annual Meeting, April 25–28 in Los Angeles, California, now and be sure, while registering, to add a hands-on Skills Transfer Lab.

All YES Skills Transfer Labs will take place Friday, April 25. Lab areas cover phaco, MIGS, DALK, DMEK/DSAEK, Yamane, and (new) refractive. In addition to YES-specific labs, ASCRS also offers dedicated programming on Saturday, April 26 for young eye surgeons.

Registration for the meeting is complimentary for residents and U.S. fellows and is discounted for surgeons in their first 5 years of practice.

ASCRS Live! Is Back
2025 Programming Kicks Off in Miami

ASCRS Live!, an educational dinner and networking program for ophthalmologists, is back on the road, and its first stop is Miami on March 6.

This evening CME program is targeted for a smaller audience, with discussion focusing on refractive cataract surgery. In addition to complimentary dinner and CME education, there will be ample time for open discussion and networking.

Register for Miami or see the 2025 city lineup.

According to recent surveys, 100% of attendees who responded said they learned something new in the program and would recommend attending ASCRS Live! to their colleagues.

Take Advantage of These Educational Opportunities with ASCRS

YES Connect Webinars: In “Decision-making for pre-op: How to plan routine and complex refractive cataract surgery,” Kourtney Houser, MD, Kamran Riaz, MD, Ryan Smith, MD, Austin Nakatsuka, MD, and Eric Weinlander, MD, discuss how to turn challenging cataract surgical cases into refractive surgery wins.
Ophthalmology Quicksand Chronicles—Eureka Moments Podcast: Hosts Nicole Fram, MD, and Elizabeth Yeu, MD, welcomed guest Mitch Shultz, MD, in the latest episode of their popular ASCRS podcast. Watch the episode.
ASCRS Grand Rounds: The latest episode of Grand Rounds covers cataract surgery in a patient with keratoconus and a case involving cosmetic iris implants.
Optical Coherence Tomography: A Comprehensive Review: From the Retina Clinical Committee, go in-depth on optical coherence tomography (OCT) in this webinar, covering its historical evolution, foundational principles, and advancements in technology.
ASCRS Live! Roundtable: A new roundtable webinar with ASCRS Live! faculty centers around the preoperative IOL discussion and selection, the various advanced IOL technologies available, astigmatism management, and postop considerations for concerned or dissatisfied patients.

Helpful Links and Resources

Remember you can always find additional information and resources on our website.

Want to get involved with YES activities? Send us an e-mail and let us know!