Congress reflections

I have been very much looking forward to Vienna. Last year the ESCRS meeting in Lisbon was excellent and I attended many interesting talks and gained useful skills in wet labs. A definite highlight was being awarded the John Henahan Prize, but the meeting was overshadowed by an important clinical ophthalmology exam back home in Ireland, which I was due to sit just days after the meeting finished in September. In between talks and wet labs, I felt obliged to leave the exhibition halls to study. I was unable to fully relax, and I missed out on much of the usual catching up and meeting with colleagues and friends, which I associate with past ESCRS meetings. This year is thankfully different. Having passed my membership exams, I have no distractions. The meeting is more important for me now, because of my new position; since July 2018 I have progressed to the latter half of training, from senior house officer to specialist registrar, or SpR. This was a very welcome career progression, as eventual registration as an ophthalmic surgeon requires completion of SpR training. Competition for the limited number of posts in Ireland is stiff, and is built up to with years of preparation, logging surgeries, completing higher degrees and presenting and publishing research. Having secured the job, over the coming few years I will rotate through different subspecialties, which I aim to supplement with knowledge gained from attending high-quality ophthalmology meetings, such as the ESCRS. I started recently as an SpR in vitreoretinal surgery, in the largest ophthalmology department in Ireland, the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin. The job includes a good volume of cataract surgery. Having become competent at routine phacoemulsification over the last three years, I am now progressing to more difficult cases, and to supervision of junior trainees. I am enjoying the thrill of operating alone for the first time, which feels like an important step towards becoming an independent cataract surgeon. In my hospital, other surgeons operate in the adjacent theatres, so senior help is available should I require it. I still have a lot to learn – my goals for now include learning anterior vitrectomy and further improving my handling of cases where zonular support is precarious – vitrectomized eyes have taught me that particular care is required. This is where the ESCRS meeting is especially useful – its many practical, detailed talks, especially the talks accompanied by videos, throw light on the trickier aspects of cataract surgery. Looking at the programme for this meeting, I am keen to attend some of the instructional courses, including one by David Chang, of chopping fame, who will speak on managing capsule problems, and also a course by Amar Agarwal on vitrectomy.