When I was asked to write a blog post about the recent American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting in Chicago, I first thought of the exciting new technologies, therapies, and discoveries that were presented. You can read all about those advancements on Healio.com. Instead, in this post, I’d like to share why I view ophthalmology as a collaboration ecosystem.

About 6 months ago, after 25 years on the editorial side of Ocular Surgery News and Healio/OSN, I moved into a business development role. I wasn’t sure what the reaction would be, but since my transition was announced, I have received nothing but support and encouragement from everyone I interact with, including those outside of Healio Strategic Solutions. My experience at my 25th AAO meeting further proved this.

So many people I met with helped me connect with the right person at their company or went out of their way to point me in the right direction. Some were even protective of me with their own colleagues. I’m lucky to have relationships with many KOLs, all of whom showed their support and assisted me with anything I needed. I left the event feeling like I have dozens of mentors. Considering that the AAO meeting is one of the busiest events of the year and time is a commodity, I was floored and grateful.

Collaboration was certainly in the air at AAO. Physicians and industry met to discuss medical breakthroughs and new therapies for patients, industry partnered with ophthalmology societies on ways to support society members and mentor young ophthalmologists, and organizations like Ophthalmic World Leaders were in attendance.

This “we’re in it together” mindset extends beyond developing new products for patient care. I am fortunate enough to still work on Healio’s Eyeluminaries podcast with Jim Mazzo and John A. Hovanesian, MD. If I were to give myself a title, it would be “podcast producer” because that sounds really cool, but mostly I’m just the guy who hits the record button. But enough about me.

We recently recorded an episode with Susan MacDonald, MD; Cathy McCabe, MD; and Hovanesian (who was in the guest seat for a change) about ophthalmologists’ volunteer work with medical missions in underserved parts of the world.

The 30-minute conversation taught me how impactful restoring sight can be not only to an individual, but to their entire family and community. We discussed the connection between cataract and corneal blindness with poverty, depression and dementia. Having one family member impacted by blindness can make it challenging for an entire family to rise out of poverty because of the sheer amount of time and effort it takes to care for that person.

They discussed how ophthalmologists work hand in hand with industry partners to provide equipment and training that makes a tremendous, lasting impact in restoring sight. The mission encompasses more than showing up, performing surgeries and returning home. These volunteers understand that to truly make a difference, they must train surgeons locally and leave the equipment with them so they can carry on the work. They also grow such volunteer efforts by telling ophthalmologists how they can get involved. Collaboration is critical to the success of programs like these.

After years of serving in the eye care industry, I am guilty of saying “it’s hard not to be cynical and jaded” more times than I care to admit. However, after attending this year’s AAO meeting and participating in the Eyeluminaries podcast episode on ophthalmology volunteer work, I only have one thing to say about my industry: It’s difficult TO be cynical and jaded.