Insider Perspectives on Peer Review Publications

What does it take to be published? Is the literature biased? How much influence do sponsors have on content and article selection?

The ophthalmic literature is exploding in volume, yet the peer-review process remains as mysterious as ever. While the more established journals remain open-access, some of the newer journals require authors to pay to submit manuscripts. Many authors are paid by sponsors in the background. Navigating the peer-review process has never been more complex, or less transparent. Yet publishing in the peer-review literature remains the gold standard for credibility and acceptance.

This month’s journal club brings together a panel of experienced authors, journal editors and reviewers to discuss the peer review process. Key topics include:

1. How can I write a paper that is likely to be accepted?
2. How do I select the most appropriate journal to submit to for my article?
3. Is there any value publishing in trade journals?
4. What topics should the RSA collaborate to produce powerful studies with good numbers and good data quickly? What should we prioritize?

Featured Guests:
• Thomas Kohnen, MD, PhD ~ Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
• Francesco Carones, MD ~ Carones Vision, Milano, Italy
• Ronald R. Krueger, MD ~ Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute, Nebraska, United States America

Panel Discussion Authors and Experts Include:
• Arthur B. Cummings, MD ~ Wellington Eye Clinic, Dublin, Ireland
• Damien Gatinel, MD, PhD, PhD ~ Rothschild Foundation, Paris, France
• Michael Mrochen, PhD ~ IROC Science AG, Zurich, Switzerland
• Suphi Taneri, MD ~ Zentrum für Refraktive Chirurgie, Münster, Germany
• Guy M. Kezirian, MD, MBA ~ SurgiVision Consultants Inc, Arizona, United States America

Special Guest: Vance Thompson, MD, Founder & Director, Refractive Surgery, Vance Thompson Vision.
Professor Ophthalmology, Stanford School of Medicine, University South Dakota
South Dakota, USA

Well known for his advanced patient-centric philosophy on “The Culture of Customer Experience” everyone will be interested in what Vance Thompson, MD – founder and director of refractive surgery at Vance Thompson Vision - has to say.

Join RSA Members Charles Williamson, MD, and Vance Thompson, MD as they discuss innovative best practices, share insights, thoughts, and tips about ophthalmology and “The Culture of Customer Experience”.

An RSA Exclusive Webinar about a new and emerging technology to guide IOL selection.

Led by RSA Members Michael Mrochen PhD and Arthur Cummings, MD, along with optical engineer Pavel Zakharov, PhD.

Wearables such as “FitBit’s” capture insights into physiology and performance and open new possibilities to optimize a broad range of monitoring and treatments. Refractive IOL surgery is particularly suited to data-driven decision-making, since different IOLs offer different benefits and patients may not be able to describe their visual needs. Working distances vary, as do lighting conditions, distribution of activities at distance, intermediate and near, and the types of activities that people undertake are diverse.

As choices of IOL technologies increase, our ability to match the lens to the person – rather than the person to the lens – will only improve. Objective, data-driven guidance for IOL selection promise to improve success, increase patient satisfaction, and drive practice growth. Vivior, a company started by RSA member Michael Mrochen PhD, has studied vision performance data for the past several years. Their proprietary hardware and software generate a “Vision Usage Profile” to guide IOL selection for refractive IOL surgery. The technology integrates activity levels, working distances, and light conditions to describe visual performance. Dr. Cummings has used Vivior technologies in his clinic and will report on his experience.

This is a non-commercial, non-sponsored webinar, devoid of promotional content. It is offered to provide RSA members with a preview of this exciting technology, and moreover to the emerging field of personalized medicine in ophthalmology.

Myopia Control Essentials for Every Refractive Surgeon

RSA Journal Club is on the emerging and extremely important topic of Myopia Control. The format is going to be a little different as you can see with four articles and many in review style. The previous topics that we have addressed have been core knowledge to refractive surgeons and we could become granular in our analysis. This topic is less well known to the RSA membership, so the discussion will be an educational process to bring us all up to a decent level of knowledge.

Panel Discussion Authors and Experts Include:
• Arthur B. Cummings, MD ~ Wellington Eye Clinic, Dublin, Ireland
• Damien Gatinel, MD, PhD, PhD ~ Rothschild Foundation, Paris, France
• Michael Mrochen, PhD ~ IROC Science AG, Zurich, Switzerland
• Suphi Taneri, MD ~ Zentrum für Refraktive Chirurgie, Münster, Germany
• Ronald R. Krueger, MD ~ Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute, Nebraska, United States America
• Guy M. Kezirian, MD, MBA ~ SurgiVision Consultants Inc, Arizona, United States America

Articles Discussed Include:

1. Axial length growth and the risk of developing myopia in European children – This article is foundational and sets up myopia in the same way that height, weight, skull circumference etc. are in terms of percentiles.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aos.13603

2. Update and guidance on management of myopia. European Society of Ophthalmology in cooperation with International Myopia Institute.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1120672121998960

3. Excellent review article on the current management options.
reviewofophthalmology.com/article/a-review-of-advances-in-myopia-management

4. Higher-Order Aberrations and Axial Elongation in Myopic Children Treated with Orthokeratology. This article is about ortho-K but illustrates how pupil size and spherical aberration impact myopia control, supporting the recent RSA Forum thread of Aleks Stojanovic (“Adolescent Myopia control as a pathway to Adult Lasik|”).
iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2761681

Guest Speaker: Renato Ambrósio, Jr, MD, PhD
, President, International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS)
Adjunct Professor, Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO)
Instituto de Olhos Renato Ambrósio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Visare Rio/Refracta Personal Laser, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Can I operate on this cornea?

... an exclusive RSA Fireside Chat with Renato Ambrósio Jr, MD, PhD

The RSA Fireside Chat Series, hosted by Chuck Williamson, MD, provides an opportunity for an in-depth discussion with experts on key topics in refractive surgery. This month’s episode features Renato Ambrosio Jr, MD, PhD, a pioneer in corneal imaging and the use of Artificial Intelligence for corneal screening, with insights immediately applicable to clinical practice.

FFKC is THE major risk factor for progressive (iatrogenic) ectasia after laser vision correction. But what is FFKC? While there is no consensus on the definitions for forme fruste keratoconus, being able to differentiate FFKC from keratoconus suspect is a key determinant of whether or not it is safe to operate. Multiple imaging modes often yield conflicting information, leaving the clinician with no clear answer. This webinar will provide a long-format interview to dive into the concepts with the co-inventor of the Bellin Ambrosio Enhanced Ectasia Display (BAD), a cornerstone of clinical practice.

RSA member Dr. Ambrosio is an Adjunct Professor of Ophthalmology at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO) and is the current president of the International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS). Please join us for this unique opportunity to hear behind the scenes perspectives with Dr. Ambrosio!