American Academy of Ophthalmology

An 81-year-old woman underwent cataract surgery in the left eye. A, B, In the right eye, which had undergone uncomplicated cataract surgery 16 years earlier, fundus photography and OCT revealed a fine avascular filiform remnant extending from the optic disc (arrowheads). C, During cataract surgery in the left eye, intraoperative retroillumination showed a filiform remnant adherent to the posterior capsule, with its distal end freely floating in the vitreous cavity. No intraoperative complications occurred. D, Postoperative fundus photography showed posterior vitreous detachment, and the filiform remnant remained attached to the posterior capsule (arrowheads), with no vitreoretinal traction.

From “Intraoperative Detection of Quiescent Persistent Fetal Vasculature in an Adult” by Yuta Nariya, MD, Kazusa Goto, Shuichiro Aoki, MD, PhD. Published by Ophthalmology online on February 3, 2026.

Read: https://ow.ly/VAIG50ZiR4U

This is it — the final day of our ELSA Week of Action.

To everyone who contacted their lawmakers, shared a patient story, or told a colleague to take action this week: thank you. This is exactly the kind of physician-driven advocacy that moves bipartisan bills like the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act toward a vote.

If you haven't taken action yet, there's still time today. A child's sight is irreplaceable — let's make sure Congress knows it.

Stop Insurance Companies from Blocking a Child’s Right to Sight Home Home Advocacy Advocacy News Member exclusive - Locked Stop Insurance Companies from Blocking a Child’s Right to Sight Apr 30, 2026 Image The Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act needs your voice — and your patients need you to use it. Member exclusive - Locked Log in to keep reading. Join AAO to get...

Patient positioning, proper equipment, and clear communication can make scleral depression easier for both the examiner and the patient.

Scleral Depressed Exam: 5 Tips to Make It Less 'Depressing' Five tips to master the scleral depressed exam — covering patient positioning, equipment selection, counseling, examination technique, and using clinical context to maximize diagnostic yield for perip

ELSA already has more than 200 cosponsors in Congress — that's real momentum. But bills don't pass by cosponsors alone; they pass when lawmakers keep hearing from constituents who understand the stakes.

If you've already taken action this week, thank you — now challenge three colleagues to do the same. If you haven't yet, there's still time. https://ow.ly/PUE250ZuRfK

Tag the American Academy of Ophthalmology, AAPOS- American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, and your lawmakers when you post so we can track our collective reach this week.

Stop Insurance Companies from Blocking a Child’s Right to Sight Home Home Advocacy Advocacy News Member exclusive - Locked Stop Insurance Companies from Blocking a Child’s Right to Sight Apr 30, 2026 Image The Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act needs your voice — and your patients need you to use it. Member exclusive - Locked Log in to keep reading. Join AAO to get...

Common chemical injuries to the eye pose a threat to vision. Often, the decisions a treating physician makes in the minutes after exposure can determine lifelong visual outcomes.

Read: https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/todays-chemical-exposures?august-2026

[Academy members]

Today’s Chemical Exposures Experts discuss eye injuries caused by today’s commonly used chemicals and how to triage, diagnose, and treat them.

Successful learning often comes down to consistency. The right combination of textbooks, question banks, surgical videos, and clinical tools can strengthen both knowledge and confidence. https://ow.ly/Uz6h50ZwgJT

The Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act has something rare in Washington right now: real bipartisan support. Lead sponsors Sen. Jodi Ernst (R-IA) and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) have both spoken publicly about why children with congenital eye conditions need this coverage guaranteed — not left to the discretion of individual insurance plans.

With 200+ cosponsors already on board, ELSA is close. It just needs Congress to keep hearing from the physicians who see the consequences of denied coverage every day.

Watch what Sens. Ernst and Baldwin have said about the bill, then take 5 minutes to contact your own lawmakers

Stop Insurance Companies from Blocking a Child’s Right to Sight Home Home Advocacy Advocacy News Member exclusive - Locked Stop Insurance Companies from Blocking a Child’s Right to Sight Apr 30, 2026 Image The Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act needs your voice — and your patients need you to use it. Member exclusive - Locked Log in to keep reading. Join AAO to get...

The Academy's YO Info Resident Edition supports trainees with practical advice, clinical insights, and encouragement from peers who understand the realities of residency.

Read: https://ow.ly/T6Ta50ZwgA5

If you've ever had a patient denied coverage for congenital cataract treatment — a delayed surgery, a family who couldn't afford lenses, a child who lost vision because insurance said no — that story is exactly what lawmakers need to hear this week.

When you contact your Member of Congress about the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act, personalize your message with one sentence from your own experience. It's the difference between a form letter and a reason to act.

Take action.

Stop Insurance Companies from Blocking a Child’s Right to Sight Home Home Advocacy Advocacy News Member exclusive - Locked Stop Insurance Companies from Blocking a Child’s Right to Sight Apr 30, 2026 Image The Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act needs your voice — and your patients need you to use it. Member exclusive - Locked Log in to keep reading. Join AAO to get...

Every pediatric ophthalmologist knows the stakes: a child born with congenital cataracts has a narrow treatment window, and surgery only works if it's followed by reliable access to aphakic contact lenses, intraocular lenses, and glasses.

Right now, insurance coverage for those medically necessary lenses is wildly inconsistent putting children’s vision at risk.

The bipartisan Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA — S. 1677/H.R. 3277) would require private insurance to cover care for congenital eye conditions, including surgery, lenses, and glasses. It already has more than 200 cosponsors. It just needs to keep moving.

This week, we're asking every member to take five minutes and contact Congress. https://ow.ly/r74l50ZuR4q

Stop Insurance Companies from Blocking a Child’s Right to Sight Home Home Advocacy Advocacy News Member exclusive - Locked Stop Insurance Companies from Blocking a Child’s Right to Sight Apr 30, 2026 Image The Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act needs your voice — and your patients need you to use it. Member exclusive - Locked Log in to keep reading. Join AAO to get...