Alison Early, MD, Ophthalmology 360 Editorial Advisory Board member, talks about highlights from AAO 2025, including a talk she gave on the importance of ergonomics in ophthalmology.
Alison Early, MD:
Good morning. I’m Dr. Alison Early and I am reporting here from the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Orlando, Florida, on behalf of Ophthalmology 360. It has been another incredible academy weekend with amazing sessions from start to finish every single day. I particularly have enjoyed, of course, the cataract and refractive content. I’m in the process of actually opening a solo practice, and so I’ve been able to take in a lot of wisdom and advice on that topic actually in some of the young ophthalmology and business sessions. Really, truly invaluable. No matter what type of practice you’re in or where you are in your career, there are sessions for everybody.
I had the pleasure this morning of giving a short talk on the importance of ergonomics in ophthalmology, which is a topic that I have been passionate about since very early in my career, actually as a resident, was when I began to notice some musculoskeletal discomfort after long days at the microscope, both in the clinical setting and the operating room, followed by long hours of charting and typing.
At that point in my career, I really didn’t have the language or the tools to express what was going on or to understand that it was an occupational risk. As I’ve progressed through my career, I have learned and tried to empower other ophthalmologists to pay attention to their ergonomics early in their career because it truly can have an impact on your overall career longevity. There have been many studies and surveys looking at ophthalmologists’ risk of musculoskeletal disease and cumulative trauma disorders related to work-related postures, and sometimes up to 15% of physicians surveyed have reported that actually musculoskeletal disease has limited or even ended their career. It’s so important for young ophthalmologists to pay attention to their ergonomics because it has such an impact on your overall longevity. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share a little bit about the Academy weekend. I hope everybody had a wonderful trip.
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