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  • A Panelists Perspective

    This conference bore Rebecca’s unmistakable signature. It was thoroughly planned down to the smallest details, and was first class all the way.

    VENUE: The venerable Safety Harbor Spa turned out to be a great choice. The spa is located on the same springs that the Spanish explorer, Hernando DeSoto thought was the fountain of youth of Ponce de Leon. The secluded beach location allowed for a nice jog along the beach, a swim in the lap pool, a shopping expedition to the nearby shops, a relaxing massage, or a vigorous work-out in the well-equipped gym. It is definitely “old Florida,” like the hotel Don Cesar. One can imagine the pilgrimage of famous people who have “taken the waters” there over the years. As a bonus, the bed was actually very comfortable.

    FOOD: To a food junkie and amateur chef, food always takes center stage, and this food junkie was not disappointed. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner – all served buffet style – were of unusually high quality.

    MEETING ROOMS: The newly remodeled conference center was first rate.

    SPEAKERS: As so much has already been said, there is very little to add. I’m still not sure why I was invited(but certainly happy to be). As Dr. Brown said, my slides were “ultra-geeky,” and therefore unfit for a “PG” rating. However, I dutifully fulfilled my role as “Guest,” and did my level best not to embarrass Rebecca. Sandra Brown demonstrated her command of the material and her academic background. In other words, she knows what she is talking about and how to get her subject across with clarity and humor. Dr. Hector’s style was very accessible – down-to-earth is a term that comes to mind. Mary Kenny Badami showed everybody why she is a great Professor of Communications. Ellen Anmuth really impressed me with her articulation and empathy, since she also suffers from dry eye. Cathy Bishop-Clark, another professor, provided the first-person testimony to the toll that dry eye exacts from its victims. The presence of Frank Holly underscored the scientific credibility of the event. I also came across some interesting products among the exhibits.

    I thought it might be interesting to give a synopsis of my perception of the event, especially from my perspective of looking out at the attendees. I was impressed by the number of people who had traveled quite a distance from places like the East Coast and the Midwest. I was also struck by the tragedy of seeing so many young people with this affliction. I felt especially sad for those who had hoped to discover “the solution” for their dry eye, and could not help but notice the disappointment of some of them when it became evident that science had not yet delivered it. I observed one young woman taking copious and detailed notes of everything, including our conversations at dinner and breakfast. Another young man was conspicuous with his constant use of irrigating solution, as though he was trying vainly to put out a fire in his eyes. Several hid their eyes behind dark lenses the entire weekend, but their pain was not so easily hidden.

    Clearly, we have our work cut out for us. However, healing comes on many different levels, and it is on those “other” levels that the conference was an overwhelming success. It was the participants – the people who shared their stories, their pain, and more importantly their triumphs over pain -- who really made this a truly enriching event. I think that Safety Harbor was and is a good place to begin the process of healing.
    Last edited by DrG; 26-Feb-2006, 12:32. Reason: punctuation

  • #2
    DrG, you have captured the essence of the weekend. In addition to participating in the workshops, you and the other doctors made yourselves available to attendees throughout the weekend. We talked "our eyes" all weekend long and not once were you (or the other docs) unapproachable. Throughout meals and breaks and into the wee hours...you let us talk and talk and talk. And you answered question after question after question. I noticed that you were a popular meal partner .

    There wasn't enough time to do everything that was planned but that's o.k. I really enjoyed sitting at the table Sat. night after dinner listening to everything that was being said and proudly watching what was happening. I'm really, really glad you were there.
    Cindy

    "People may not always remember exactly what you said or what you did, but they will always remember how you made them feel." ~ Unknown

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Cindy
      Throughout meals and breaks and into the wee hours...you let us talk and talk and talk. And you answered question after question after question. I noticed that you were a popular meal partner .
      I guess you could say that I was about one meal away from having shared a table with everybody. In mentioning those "wee hours," why not just come out and admit that we closed the bar -- something that I rarely do anymore!

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      • #4
        In mentioning those "wee hours," why not just come out and admit that we closed the bar something that I rarely do anymore!
        Sigh, me and my flu had to go to bed early both nights so I missed all the fun

        But y'know, touching on an earlier topic, the reason DrG was invited is... well geez, I'm sure there are many reasons but who needs 'em? Putting together an eyeball event without DrG's help would simply be unthinkable. Probably on a par with starting a really good dry eye anything without Cindy.

        From an "outsider's" perspective I suppose the lineup on the doc panel might have caused some head-scratching (only one fulltime dry eye doc... the others, a pediatric ophthalmologist and an optometrist best known for restoring vision to refractive surgery patients with gas permeable contacts?). But from my own perspective, I just wanted the doctors I felt had the essential qualifications. I had my weak moments ("aaaaaaak. will anybody come if I don't have any nationally recognized dry eye gurus on the speaker list??? and can i get a guru without resorting to corporate sponsorship, which I've sworn to myself not to do?") but thankfully I recovered from that in time and just went with my gut, which told me that most of us need straight talk, practical pointers and validation from talented, intellectually honest, and caring doctors with personality far more than we need a two-hour dissertation on limbal stem cell deficiency or secretagogues.

        If I'd ever written down my core criteria for doctors participating in our special first symposium it probably would have looked something like this:
        - S/he needs to be a doctor.
        - I have to like and respect him/her a LOT.
        - S/he needs to be smart. (An adjective I don't apply to people very often.)
        - S/he needs to be balanced. (An adjective I apply even more sparingly.)
        - S/he may be either a big-picture type or a detail type (doesn't have to be both) but whatever type they are, they need to be exceptionally good at it.
        - S/he doesn't need to be a "dry eye doc" but must have in some way, for some reason repeatedly grappled intellectually with some important and possibly overlooked aspect(s) of dry eye.
        - S/he needs to have some really special something, some kind of inner drive or quality that has just somehow convinced me that they have great value to share with us patients.

        So my 3 picks were DrG, Dr Hector and Dr Brown.
        Rebecca Petris
        The Dry Eye Foundation
        dryeyefoundation.org
        800-484-0244

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        • #5
          So my 3 picks were DrG, Dr Hector and Dr Brown.
          Rebecca, I couldn't have hand picked a better trio myself! Joking aside, as I said I think they were each worth a million.
          Don't trust any refractive surgeon with YOUR eyes.

          The Dry Eye Queen

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