Hawaiian Eye Meeting 2018

The Hawaiian Eye meeting is always a nice excuse to visit Hawaii in January, especially for Crissy, who lives in Denver. This year the meeting was held in Wailea, on the island of Maui. The weather was perfect; no rain and an ideal temperature all week long. Regina and Crissy were both there with their families — so they could attend the meeting and have a little fun, too.

The week started off with some unanticipated excitement, when an emergency alert announced: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUD TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” It was such a shock; we were not sure how to respond. Still, that last sentence made us take pause. The warning said to move away from glass, so we pulled the kids — who were blissfully enjoying their breakfast on the lanai — inside. There was no news on the internet about it, which made us skeptical to say the least. I mean, a nuclear warhead headed to Hawaii and nobody is talking about it?!? It just didn’t add up. The false alarm notice came 30-45 minutes later. A little excitement to start our week.

The meeting was informative as always. There were some interesting new technologies discussed, such as the light adjustable lens. Regina’s presentation on patient safety in the operating room was well received. It provided important information on best practices and standards of care, including medication safety, patient identification, hand hygiene, hand-off communication, instrument processing, etc.

We had the opportunity to meet with several new and potential clients, as well as reconnect with long-standing industry colleagues, who we are grateful to call friends. One such friend was Helga Pizio, MD, from Las Vegas. Her new ambulatory surgery center, Green Valley Surgery Center, just successfully passed its deemed status Joint Commission survey and is open for business! Not a bad location to toast to success.

All in all, it was another great Hawaiian Eye Meeting. It is such a great balance of business and pleasur. There is nothing quite like Hawaii in January — beautiful sunsets, amazing whale watching, snorkeling with sea turtles, great food, and even better company! We look forward to attending again next year!