Episode 506: NASCAR Driving and Retina Crossover with Dr. Patrick Staropoli

Dr. Patrick Staropoli joins the program to discuss his NASCAR career, how he has balanced it with a career in surgical retina, and his decision to take a year from retina to compete full-time on the circuit.

Drs. Jeffrey Heier and Peter Kaiser of Ocular Therapeutix join to discuss the SOL-1 trial results investigating a novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor for wet age-related macular degeneration. Conflicts of Interest: Dr. Sridhar has consulted on an advisory board in the past 24 months for Ocular Therapeutix. Dr. Heier and Dr. Kaiser are employed by Ocular Therapeutix.

Drs. Jordan Deaner and Avni Finn join to recap the 2026 Vit-Buckle Society Annual Meeting.

Dr. Kristen Nwanyanwu joins the program to discuss her research into diabetic retinopathy screening and treatment disparities in the United States and other research related topics.

Drs. Mohsin Ali and Akshay Thomas join to preview the May 2026 edition of Retinal Physician found online at http://www.retinalphysician.com. Discussion includes management options for diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema, artificial intelligence screening for diabetic retinopathy, and the PRIMA subretinal implant. 

Nearly 10 years ago, Dr. Sridhar wrote down the blueprints on an airplane napkin for what would become one of the most influential ophthalmology podcasts of the modern era (according to ChatGPT). Today, Drs. Louie Cai and Justin Ma, host The Host, Dr. Jay Sridhar, in celebrating this milestone of 500 episodes, featuring questions from you, the listeners. From all of us here at Straight From The Cutter’s Mouth, thanks for listening and we hope you enjoy this special episode.There are no relevant financial disclosures relevant to this episodes’s content for any of the panelists.

Dr. Mitul Mehta joins to share career perspectives in retina and wearable technology for retinal disease, including his company Eyedaptic.Dr. Mehta does have a financial disclosure for Eyedaptic.

Dr. Adrian Fung joins the program to discuss retina careers in Australia and other parts of the world and is in interest in advancements in digital retina education. 

Drs. Akshay Thomas and Sarwar Zahid join for a journal club episode.Anti-VEGF and Vitreous Hemorrhage Surgery (https://www.ophthalmologyretina.org/article/S2468-6530(26)00024-2/fulltext)ILM Flaps Long-Term Outcomes (https://www.ophthalmologyretina.org/article/S2468-6530(26)00048-5/abstract)Protocol AC Post-Hoc Analysis (https://www.ophthalmologyretina.org/article/S2468-6530(26)00054-0/abstract)‍ ‍Listeners, we are 3 episodes away from our 500th episode! Episode 500 will be a Q&A session featuring your questions and thoughts. It’s your chance to have your voice heard on the podcast!Please record an audio/video of your question and upload it to the linked form (https://forms.gle/nyv3fvCHZJ4XzQe67). We are excited to hear what you have to say and look forward to a spectacular 500th episode!