The Sauna Sessions are 60-minute sessions built around five clinical cases. Each case lasts nine minutes, followed by two minutes for transition to the next case. Every case is chaired by a different moderator, resulting in five moderators per session, and features two speakers presenting opposing viewpoints. These sessions do not need separate registration. They are part of the official Winter Meeting programme.
Case Structure
Each case follows a dynamic debate format:
| Three minutes | Hot Take (argument in favour) |
| Three minutes | Cold Plunge (argument against) |
| One minute | Hot Take reply |
| One minute | Cold Plunge reply |
| One minute | Audience vote |
| Two minutes | Transition to the next case |
Total Time per Case
Nine minutes (+ two minutes transition)
6 March - Sauna Session 1: Simulation in Cataract Surgery Training
| Chair: Nic Reus | ||
| 10:00 – 10:03 | “Hot Take”: SV Partial-DoFi IOLs have killed monovision: it is obsolete. | Sotiria Palioura |
| 10:03 – 10:06 | “Cold Plunge”: Monovision is still cheaper, faster, and more forgiving in the right patients. | Andreia Rosa |
| 10:06 – 10:07 | “Hot Take Reply” | Sotiria Palioura |
| 10:07 – 10:08 | “Cold Plunge Reply” | Andreia Rosa |
| 10:08 – 10:09 | Audience Vote | |
| 10:09 – 10:11 | Time for Change | |
| Chair: Mayank Nanavaty | ||
| 10:11 – 10:14 | “Hot Take”: Mixing and matching IOLs is irresponsible: optical chaos in both eyes. | Claudette Abela-Formanek |
| 10:14 – 10:17 | “Cold Plunge”: Blend it right and you get the best of both worlds: distance, intermediate, and near. | Masara Laginaf |
| 10:17 – 10:18 | “Hot Take Reply” | Claudette Abela-Formanek |
| 10:18 – 10:19 | “Cold Plunge Reply” | Masara Laginaf |
| 10:19 – 10:20 | Audience Vote | |
| 10:20 – 10:22 | Time for Change | |
| Chair: Catarina Pedrosa | ||
| 10:22 – 10:25 | “Hot Take”: Presbyopia-correcting drops are the future: surgeries will fade away. | Laura Maubon |
| 10:25 – 10:28 | “Cold Plunge”: Drops are band-aids with narrow indications. They will never replace surgical correction. | Ruth Lapid-Gortzak |
| 10:28 – 10:29 | “Hot Take Reply” | Laura Maubon |
| 10:29 – 10:30 | “Cold Plunge Reply” | Ruth Lapid-Gortzak |
| 10:30 – 10:31 | Audience Vote | |
| 10:31 – 10:33 | Time for Change | |
| Chair: Artemis Matsu | ||
| 10:33 – 10:36 | “Hot Take”: Multifocal IOLs should be implanted in everyone over 50: standard of care! | Miltos Balidis |
| 10:36 – 10:39 | “Cold Plunge”: Halos, glare, neuroadaptation failure. No way this should be for every patient. | Lida Lalou |
| 10:39 – 10:40 | “Hot Take Reply” | Miltos Balidis |
| 10:40 – 10:41 | “Cold Plunge Reply” | Lida Lalou |
| 10:41 – 10:42 | Audience Vote | |
| 10:42 – 10:44 | Time for Change | |
| Chair: Sava Barisic | ||
| 10:44 – 10:47 | “Hot Take”: Counseling is overrated: patients care about outcomes, not long conversations. | Eszter Szalai |
| 10:47 – 10:50 | “Cold Plunge”: Counseling is half the surgery. Poor counseling = dissatisfied patients, even with perfect optics. | Sarah Maling |
| 10:50 – 10:51 | “Hot Take Reply” | Eszter Szalai |
| 10:51 – 10:52 | “Cold Plunge Reply” | Sarah Maling |
| 10:52 – 10:53 | Audience Vote | |
| 10:53 – 10:55 | End of Session | |
7 March - Sauna Session 2: Simulation in Cataract Surgery Training
| Chair: Alexander Day | ||
| 12:15 – 12:18 | “Hot Take”: Simulation in cataract surgery training before surgery is essential. | TBC |
| 12:18 – 12:21 | “Cold Plunge”: Simulation in cataract surgery training before surgery is not essential. | Mohammad Saleki |
| 12:21 – 12:22 | “Hot Take Reply” | TBC |
| 12:22 – 12:23 | “Cold Plunge Reply” | Mohammad Saleki |
| 12:23 – 12:24 | Audience Vote | |
| 12:24 – 12:26 | Time for Change | |
| Chair: Suphi Taneri | ||
| 12:26 – 12:29 | “Hot Take”: Laser vision correction for presbyopia is a failed chapter: bury it. | Michael Mrochen |
| 12:29 – 12:32 | “Cold Plunge”: Tech keeps evolving: PRESBYOND and new algorithms are still alive. | TBC |
| 12:32 – 12:33 | “Hot Take Reply” | Michael Mrochen |
| 12:33 – 12:34 | “Cold Plunge Reply” | TBC |
| 12:34 – 12:35 | Audience Vote | |
| 12:35 – 12:37 | Time for Change | |
| Chair: Basak Bostanci | ||
| 12:37 – 12:40 | “Hot Take”: Premium presbyopia correction is unethical in the developing world: stick to monofocals. | Carlos Rocha de Lossada |
| 12:40 – 12:43 | “Cold Plunge”: Why deny advanced technology where patients can benefit? Equity does not mean limiting progress. | Morten Gundersen |
| 12:43 – 12:44 | “Hot Take Reply” | Carlos Rocha de Lossada |
| 12:44 – 12:45 | “Cold Plunge Reply” | Morten Gundersen |
| 12:45 – 12:46 | Audience Vote | |
| 12:46 – 12:48 | Time for Change | |
| Chair: Sotiria Palioura | ||
| 12:48 – 12:51 | “Hot Take”: All presbyopia solutions are compromises: patients will never be truly happy. | Rudy Nuijts |
| 12:51 – 12:54 | “Cold Plunge”: With the right patient selection and tech, satisfaction rates are higher than ever. | Petri Järventausta |
| 12:54 – 12:55 | “Hot Take Reply” | Rudy Nuijts |
| 12:55 – 12:56 | “Cold Plunge Reply” | Petri Järventausta |
| 12:56 – 12:57 | Audience Vote | |
| 12:57 – 12:59 | Time for Change | |
| Chair: William Dean | ||
| 12:59 – 13:02 | “Hot Take”: SICS in developing nations: The Workhorse That Phaco Will Never Beat. | Jonathan Pons |
| 13:02 – 13:05 | “Cold Plunge”: In developing nations, SICS delivers numbers — Phaco delivers progress. | Mark Wevill |
| 13:05 – 13:06 | “Hot Take Reply” | Jonathan Pons |
| 13:06 – 13:07 | “Cold Plunge Reply” | Mark Wevill |
| 13:07 – 13:08 | Audience Vote | |
| 13:08 – 13:10 | End of Session | |