Experts InSight

Good Days Chronic Disease Fund Updates

Drs. Priya Vakharia and Sarwar Zahid join host Dr. Jay Sridhar to discuss the history, major recent changes, and future of the Good Days Chronic Disease Fund as it pertains to medical management of patients with retinal disease. For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts [http://www.aao.org/podcasts].

Uncovering the Patient Experience of Thyroid Eye Disease

Although severe thyroid eye disease (TED) is easily recognizable, mild TED may go undiagnosed for months if not longer. In today's episode, Dr. Vivek Patel joins host Dr. Amanda Redfern to share how he uncovers subtle signs and symptoms of TED that can lead to a quicker diagnosis and the treatments that make a meaningful impact on quality of life. For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts [http://www.aao.org/podcasts].

CMS Cuts Rock Ophthalmology: Act Now!

The unprecedented payment cuts that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) proposed over the summer were finalized on October 31. The disastrous impact [https://www.aao.org/advocacy/medicare-fee-schedule/2026] on cataract surgery reimbursements alone will amount to an 11% reduction in payment. In today's emergency episode, host Dr. Andrew Pouw welcomes back three guests to rally ophthalmologists to take action [https://www.aao.org/act-now]: Dr. John McAllister, the Academy's Secretary for Federal Affairs; Brandy Keys, the Academy's Director of Health Policy; and Rebecca Hyder, the Academy's Vice President of Government Affairs. Physicians shouldn't have to choose between staying open and serving their Medicare patients. Congress needs to hear directly from ophthalmologists [https://www.aao.org/advocacy/action/vv?vvsrc=%2fCampaigns%2f131255%2fRespond] like you before these cuts are enacted. Please, make your voice heard. Use this easy form to reach Congress. [https://www.aao.org/advocacy/action/vv?vvsrc=%2fCampaigns%2f131255%2fRespond] Essential Academy Resources: * Contact Congress Now: www.aao.org/act-now [https://www.aao.org/act-now] * Summary of CMS Medicare Physician Fee Schedule [https://www.aao.org/advocacy/medicare-fee-schedule/2026] * Past podcast episode: CMS Cuts Rock Ophthalmology [https://www.aao.org/education/audio/cms-cuts-rock-ophthalmology-medicine] For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts [http://www.aao.org/podcasts].

A Roadmap to Improving Emergency Treatment of Ocular Trauma

In this call to action, Drs. Robert Mazzoli, Stuart Seiff, and Jon Perlstein share the scope of issues surrounding ophthalmic trauma care in the United States and a roadmap for improving it, including how we can translate experiences from the military into our own set of Damage Control Ophthalmology (DCO) guidelines. Referenced article: A Call to Action and Roadmap for Improving Emergency Treatment of Ophthalmic Trauma in the United States [https://www.aaojournal.org/article/S0161-6420(25)00440-3/fulltext] For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts [http://www.aao.org/podcasts].

Pediatric Cataract Surgery

Drs. Michelle Cabrera and Alejandra de Alba join host Dr. Ben Young to discuss the finer points of what makes pediatric cataract surgery so challenging—because it's not "just" scaled-down adult cataract surgery. Referenced article: Management of Infantile and Childhood Retinopathies: Optimized Pediatric Pars Plana Vitrectomy Sclerotomy Nomogram [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31047195/] For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts [http://www.aao.org/podcasts].