It’s been 21 years since Graham Barrett and I founded the Australasian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (AUSCRS).  We formed AUSCRS to provide ophthalmologists with the first organised forum of its kind in Australia.  At the time there were inadequate forums for those of us specifically interested in cataract and refractive surgery. 21 meetings later and AUSCRS has proudly become the peak body for cataract and refractive surgery education.  We now run a world class meeting and interested ophthalmologists can stay up-to-date with the latest technology and techniques, requiring less overseas travel.  Graham and I are most pleased with our teaching efforts over the years.

At this year’s AUSCRS conference, held in Hamilton Island on 2-5 August 2017 and attended by over 250 surgeons and support staff, the focus was on “New directions in cataract and refractive surgery”.

I had the pleasure of presenting my findings on several topics and being involved in a number of discussions.  My main presentation, in the session titled “21 Up: The Winds of Change”, was about the history of procedures that have been replaced by newer and improved ones.

This year we shared a wealth of information. Particularly interesting were trends in laser refractive surgery. We had excellent presentations from both overseas and local experts.

Thank you to all my colleagues and peers for their valuable contributions to these discussions.