Join the conversation on January 21 at 7:00 PM EST, focused on the future of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society and the evolving landscape of vision care.

Hear from speakers on key topics, including: Advocacy in Action, Annual Meeting and Exhibition, Artificial Intelligence, Residency in Ophthalmology, and the Equity-focused Mentorship Program.

After this session, participants will:

• Integrate multidisciplinary perspectives to advance excellence in ophthalmic care, synthesizing knowledge from advocacy, education, mentorship, technology, and diversity initiatives to strengthen both clinical practice and the broader ophthalmology profession
• Evaluate the impact of emerging trends and technologies on the future of ophthalmology assessing how innovations, such as artificial intelligence and digital collaborations, are transforming patient care, training, and professional engagement within ophthalmology.
• Promote a culture of equity, inclusion, and lifelong learning in ophthalmology, applying principles of equity, diversity, and mentorship to enhance professional development, foster inclusive leadership, and improve educational and clinical outcomes.

Join Dr. Nina Ahuja, Chair of the Council on Advocacy for the Canadian Ophthalmological Society, to review the year in advocacy and explore what’s coming in 2026.

*Elisabeth Fowler covers this topic in our French Forum on January 28.

Dr. Adam Muzychuk shares exciting updates on the planning process and highlights, including the inaugural Film Festival, Co-developed Symposium, Skills Transfer Courses, and Self-assessment Programs.

*Dr. Mona Dagher covers this topic in our French Forum on January 28.

Dr. Fares Antaki discusses advancements in AI and their importance for ophthalmology.

Dr. Anne Nguyen provides updates on the Council of Canadian Ophthalmology Residents (CCOR) and its work supporting residents in Canada.

Dr. Imaan Kherani presents the COS Equity-focused Mentorship Program and its initiatives.

*Stephanie Nou covers this topic in our French Forum on January 28.

Our COS President, Dr. Mona Dagher, will be moderating the session.

Wills Eye Hospital and the University of Toronto are proud to present the next installment of the Cornea Surgical Video Learning Series:

Date: Saturday, February 21st, 2026
Time: 10:00 – 11:30 AM EST

Co-moderated by Professors Sadeer Hannush (Wills Eye Hospital) and Allan Slomovic (University of Toronto).

Keynote Lecture:
Professor Harminder Dua, CBE, DL, FRCS, FRCOphth, PhD
Professor & Chair of Ophthalmology
University of Nottingham

Guest Panelists
Beeran Meghpara, MD and Ravi Patel, MD (Wills Eye Hospital)
David Rootman, MD FRCSC and Asim Ali, MD FRCSC (University of Toronto)

Surgery Case Presentations:
Brian Do, MD (Wills Eye Hospital)
Aera Kee, MD (University of Toronto)

Topic:
DOVS Cornea Surgical Video Learning Series – Amnion in Ocular Surface Reconstruction
with Professor Harminder Dua

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_U4bZYDg3Rz2bvndKY09VyA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The session will be recorded and placed online for later viewing.

If you would like to view prior sessions in the series, please visit:
https://ophthalmology.utoronto.ca/subspecialty-rounds

CME credits are available for the following:
· Royal College Maintenance of Certification Section 1: 1.5 hours (1.5 Section 1 hours per session)
· American Medical Association Category 1: 1.5 credits (1.5 Category 1 credits per session)
· European Union for Medical Specialists UEMS-EACCME®: 1.5 credits (1.5 ECMEC credits per session)

Submitted by: Joshua Huang, University of Alberta

What is Burnout?

According to the World Health Organization, “Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:

• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
• increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and
• reduced professional efficacy.” [1]

Epidemiology

Per the Canadian Medical Association’s 2021 National Physician Health Survey [2]:

• More than 50% of attendings and residents report symptoms of burnout
• Increased among general practitioners, remote/rural practitioners, and physicians with fewer years of work experience
• Higher amongst women (59%) vs men (43%)
• >1.5x increase from 2017 results

Risk Factors [3]

• High workload and long hours
• Limited well-being support
• Job dissatisfaction
• Poor sleep hygiene
• Young age (<30 years)
• Personality characteristics such as cynicism, anxiety, difficulty with emotional regulation
• Impersonal and control orientation

Signs & Symptoms [4]

• Physical: Increased heart rate and blood pressure, restlessness, pain, nausea, decreased immune function, frequent headaches
• Affective: Depressed/changing mood, anxiousness, irritability, heightened tension, hypersensitivity, blunted empathy, anger and fear
• Cognitive – Helplessness, cynical perception, pessimism
• Behavioural – emotional outbursts, declined productivity, increased rate of medical errors
• Motivation – decreased motivation, loss of interest, low morale

Treatment

• Individual-level interventions
  • Engaging in mindfulness-based therapies, cognitive behavioral therapy, and exercise [5]
  • seeking out coaching, writing a gratitude journal, yoga, and building social relationships withpeers and colleagues [6]
• System-level interventions:
  • utilizing multidisciplinary team members to lessen physician workload (i.e. documentation, scribes) [6]
  • implementing large language models (AI) to help with documentation [6]

References:

1. World Health Organization. Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases, 2019. May 2019.
2. Canadian Medical Association (CMA), Ipsos. CMA 2021 national physician health survey. Ottawa: The Association; 2022 Aug 24
3. Shalaby, R., Oluwasina, F., Eboreime, E., El Gindi, H., Agyapong, B., Hrabok, M., … & Agyapong, V. I. O. (2023). Burnout among residents: prevalence and predictors of depersonalization, emotional exhaustion and professional unfulfillment among resident doctors in Canada. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(4), 3677.
4. Merlo, G., & Rippe, J. (2021). Physician burnout: A lifestyle medicine perspective. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 15(2), 148-157.
5. Antico, L., & Brewer, J. (2025). Digital mindfulness training for burnout reduction in physicians: Clinician-driven approach. JMIR Formative Research, 9(1), e63197.
6. Guille, C., & Sen, S. (2024). Burnout, depression, and diminished well-being among physicians. New England Journal of Medicine, 391(16), 1519–1527.

Indirect ophthalmoscopy is an essential tool for examination of the peripheral retina. It is a beautifully designed optical instrument for detecting and treating important sight-threatening pathology. However, it is also a physically demanding technique that forces the neck and back into unnatural positions of tilt and hyperflexion. Not only is this strenuous at the time of the exam, but it creates potentially excessive stress on the paraspinal muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Combined with the intense pace of a busy high-volume clinic, it is the perfect recipe for career ending disk herniation, stenosis, or nerve impingement.

In order to reduce the detrimental effects:

• Optimize the patient’s head position by tilting it 30-45 degrees towards you.
• Walk around the patient’s head while examining them to avoid twisting or craning your neck and back. Position your body to remain 180 degrees opposite to the fundus location you are examining, whenever possible.
• Avoid excessive hunching. Keep your neck and back in as neutral a position as possible by elevating the patient’s chair height as high as possible to avoid crouching over.
• Procure yourself a lighter-weight indirect ophthalmoscope in order to reduce the weight on your neck and shoulders.
• Take breaks. This applies especially to learners. If your patient is getting tired and so are you, take a break, begin documenting your findings, have a stretch, and resume.
• Stay fit. A healthy lifestyle and regular exercise, incorporating stretching and strength training, will help keep your joints mobile and more forgiving.

In summary, indirect ophthalmoscopy is challenging enough as it is. Next time you are hunting through vitreous hemorrhage for a retinal tear, please consider incorporating some of these ergonomics tips. Your neck (and the rest of your body) will thank you!

The earlier that proper positioning is adopted and becomes habit, the less likely that potentially career-threatening musculoskeletal injuries will develop.

Michael Dollin, MD, FRCSC
Ergonomics and Injury Prevention Working Group

Join us for our next EyeNovation webinar, “Navigating the Ocean of Presbyopia-Correcting IOLs”, presented by Dr. Francesco Carones, a leading expert in refractive and cataract surgery.

This webinar took place on December 17, 2025 from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Eastern Time. A recording is available for you to view below.

Francesco Carones, MD, is an internationally recognized leader in refractive and cataract surgery. A graduate of the University of Milan, he completed specialized refractive surgery training at Emory University before serving as Assistant Professor and Director of Refractive Surgery at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan.

Now Medical Director and Physician CEO of Advalia Vision, Dr. Carones focuses on lens replacement and refractive procedures. Since 1989, he has been deeply involved in pioneering technologies—excimer lasers, LASEK, mitomycin-C applications, toric and multifocal IOLs, and advanced lenticular extraction platforms. He also developed the first objective software for defocus curve measurement.

Dr. Carones has published more than 160 peer-reviewed works and lectures globally at major scientific meetings. He is Associate Editor of the Journal of Refractive Surgery, serves on multiple editorial boards, and sits on advisory boards for leading ophthalmic companies. He is a Board Member of AECOS and WCRSVS and President-Elect of AECOS Europe. In 2023–2024, he was named to the Ophthalmologist PowerList of the top 100 most influential leaders in the field.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

1. Understand the performances of the different presbyopia-correcting IOLs both as regards their advantages (e.g., defocus curves, spectacle independence provided) and their drawbacks (e.g., night dysphotopsia, light dependence for reading).
2. Present the different technologies to patients effectively to help them understand which options best suit their needs and expectations
3. Manage postoperative outcomes by aligning patient expectations with clinical reality and addressing dissatisfaction.

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Time: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Eastern Time

Title: Fellowship, early career, and general life hacks

Speaker: Dr. Joshua Teichman

Zoom Link to Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UEc92Nu8S9u7wqegAB_Bsw#/registration

After this session, participants will be able to:

• Explore conditions not found in textbooks;
• Discuss mindset for unknown cases;
• Discuss productivity and efficiency pearls.

The VPP Grand Rounds Local and Visiting Professor Program is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification program of The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. You will be able to claim 1 credit for this round.

Date: Friday January 9th, 2026

Time: 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM

Title: Hereditary Vitreoretinopathies: From Recognition to Retinal Detachment Prevention

Speaker: Dr. Gareth Mercer

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_R9XhApxlROemwiti13uKKw#/

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

After this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Differentiate Stickler Syndrome and Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) based on key clinical and imaging features, including associated non-ocular conditions.
• Understand the genetic basis and inheritance patterns of Stickler Syndrome and FEVR, and their implications for familial screening.
• Compare and apply disease-specific approaches to retinal detachment risk assessment and prophylaxis.

The VPP Grand Rounds Local and Visiting Professor Program is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification program of The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. You will be able to claim 1 credit for this round.

The first in our series of “My Story” videos, this installment features Dr. Dan O’Brien, an ophthalmologist in Nova Scotia, and a past president of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society. The full video and teasers are available for use anytime – and please share with colleagues.

Link to Teaser 1

Link to Teaser 2

Dr. Edsel Ing and co-moderator Dr. Rahul Sharma invite you to join the free Canada-wide Update & Review Lectures, held Tuesdays from 7:30–9:30 pm EST.

Designed for practicing ophthalmologists (Section 1 credits) and residents preparing for Royal College written or OKAP exams, these sessions feature highly interactive content including MCQs, fill-in-the-blank questions, and photo unknowns. Thank you to all our speakers for their dedication in making these lectures engaging and informative!

To register, please email: [email protected]