August 08, 2025
2 min learn
Key takeaways:
- The well being care system contributes extra to greenhouse gases than the aviation business.
- Scale back, reuse, recycle and rethink in your ophthalmology follow.
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — Well being care contributes considerably to world carbon emissions, so two clinicians talking on the Ladies in Ophthalmology Summer time Symposium shared 5 suggestions for lowering that footprint.
Emily Schehlein, MD, a glaucoma and cataract surgeon with Brighton Imaginative and prescient Heart, Ann Arbor, Michigan, stated the worldwide well being care system contributes 5% of greenhouse gases.
Emily Schehlein, MD, (left) and Mahsaw Mansoor, MD, urged attendees on the Ladies in Ophthalmology Summer time Symposium to judge their practices and enhance sustainability. Picture: Nancy Hemphill, ELS, FAAO / Healio
“That’s greater than the aviation business,” she stated.
Cataract surgical procedure is essentially the most generally carried out surgical procedure on the planet, Schehlein stated.
“We’re high-volume proceduralists, so we’ve got a duty right here to attempt to scale back the quantity of waste and carbon emissions we produce,” she stated.
The largest barrier to that is regulatory, Schehlein stated, compounded by inertia and inconsistency throughout states and nations.
“A number of the pushback about methods we might be extra sustainable in ophthalmology is predicated on security,” she stated. “We have to be certain we’re following evidence-based medication. Generally the notion is that single use is best, which the info exhibits isn’t at all times the case. We’d like specialty-specific carbon footprint information. Lifecycle assessments are a means that we’re in a position to perceive the carbon footprint of a selected process, and they’re very costly.”
Mahsaw Mansoor, MD, of Superior Imaginative and prescient Care, Los Angeles, shared “5 issues you are able to do on Monday to make a distinction.”
Begin by trimming your customized cataract packs, she stated.
“There’s a lot you’re not utilizing in your surgical pack,” Mansoor stated. “Do a 2-week audit. You’ll be amazed at how a lot you don’t use that you simply’re paying for. Should you stock what you’re utilizing you’ll lower your emissions simply in your surgical pack by over 30%.”
Exchange full-body drapes.
“It’s ridiculous,” Mansoor stated. “You don’t want a full-body drape. Smaller drapes are safer, cheaper and greener, and sufferers are extra snug.”
Monitor your footprint and share.
“There’s a simple method to audit your self by EyeSustain,” Mansoor stated.
She additionally really helpful SIDICS, or the Sustainability Index for Disposables in Cataract Surgical procedure, accessible at ESCRS.org/SIDICS, and the Zasti Carbon Calculator.
“It’s very straightforward to stock what you’re doing day-to-day and measure your carbon footprint,” Mansoor stated.
Observe the fundamentals of an energy-efficient follow.
“That is again to the fundamentals of what we study in elementary college: Scale back, reuse, recycle, however I problem you to additionally rethink,” she stated. “Prevention is fantastic, however we’ve got to cut back. You’ll be able to recycle issues within the OR. Towels, batteries, power restoration. Flip off the slit lamps and microscope. Be aware of water use. Do you really want the OR to be 60 levels?”
Change to an alcohol-based scrub.
“It is a huge shift in your day-to-day follow,” Mansoor stated. “Perhaps begin with a morning water-based scrub. In between sufferers you need to be utilizing waterless. This has been confirmed to be protected and efficient. It saves you time, it saves you cash.”
One OR can save 60,000 liters of water by making this alteration, she stated.
“That is your to-do listing for Monday,” Mansoor stated. “Simply choose one.”
Sources/Disclosures
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Schehlein E, et al. The environmental footprint of ophthalmology: Challenges and alternatives. Offered at: Ladies in Ophthalmology Summer time Symposium; Aug. 7-10, 2025; Amelia Island, Florida.
Disclosures:
Mansoor and Schehlein report no related monetary disclosures.
