From the Chief Editor

A Continuing Thread in Glaucoma Science

R.N. Weinreb, MD, La Jolla, CA

Glaucoma was the lingua franca in early July at the World Glaucoma Congress, and all who attended it will remember well the punctilious presentations, diacritical discussions and condign collegiality. Every two years, this gathering of glaucoma pundits now provides an opportunity to get together with friends and colleagues from all over the world. I had not seen many of them since the preceding Congress in Singapore in 2007. No doubt each of us has memories of this milestone Boston event that will leave indelible marks on our professional, and maybe even our personal, lives. For me, the large number and high quality of the contributions of an emerging generation of clinicians and scientists with an interest in glaucoma, many of whom I had never met, is particularly memorable. What a breath of fresh air to learn from so many of them in and out of the expansive lecture halls. And what a privilege to have the opportunity to provide some advice, even to a few. During these informal tête-à-têtes, two questions, in particular, often arose and were notable for their global reach. ‘What qualities are most compatible with success as a physician scientist?’ And, ‘how should one decide what subject is important to study?’ Interestingly, both questions seem straightforward with rather trite answers. But both have an associated subtlety that I may have missed the first time around. Also of interest, neither of the questions specifically related to glaucoma, but reflected the thoughtfulness and uncertainties of anyone who might be initiating a career, particularly in basic, translational or clinical research.

Based on my own professional failures and successes and my interpretation of the careers of colleagues students with whom I have interacted during the past three decades in glaucoma, there are certain traits that enhance the likelihood of making meaningful contributions. Not surprisingly, I responded quickly to my interrogators that hard work, ambition, the ability to communicate, meticulousness, curiosity and passion for the work were essential. Reflecting further on this question, I added focus and specialization, mastery and persistence. The latter quality, in particular, may be a critical one. Certainly it should be for someone who is considering an academic or scientific career. At the minimum, in this case, one needs to persist until learning whether the rewards of such a life are commensurate with the disappointments. To be successful, one needs to experience reward with the exhilaration and satisfaction of a discovery that advances knowledge. Science has become so complex that it should no longer be approached and undertaken by the academic dilettante, as it may have been by some in the past. With respect to the subject of one’s research, I responded that it is clear that one must study important problems. Any problem is interesting if studied in sufficient detail, but one needs to keep in mind that interesting problems are not always important. Important problems in glaucoma are those that matter! The answer to an important research question is one that makes a difference in our understanding of glaucoma science or patient care, and one for which someone else also is interested in an answer. It may not always be clear at the onset whether a problem is important. However, embedding oneself in a highly supportive academic and scientific environment with a nurturing mentor should enable one to be able to gain perspective on what does matter and what the important problems are. And this is also why it is so important to attend meetings like the World Glaucoma Congress. For it is at these venues that one also can gain, particularly through networking with others from all over the world, powers of judgment that determine the next focus of one’s research and what the problems that really do matter are.

For those of you from whom I learned and with whom I spoke and are at the forefront of the revolution in glaucoma, the next World Glaucoma Congress will be held in Europe in 2011. How wonderful it will be to reconnect, learn of your successes and failures, and share the excitement of discovery with a still new generation of clinicians and scientists who will join us in our journey to make a difference in glaucoma.