Reeling in the years

It is our tradition at the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery to bring in the New Year with a special emphasis on the passage of time. Our January 2015 issue punctuates this temporal theme in a special way with 3 ultra-long-term clinical outcome reports: an 18-year follow-up study of PRK (pages 23–32), a 15-year follow-up study of LASIK (pages 33–40), and a 10-year follow-up study of collagen crosslinking for keratoconus (pages 41–48). These contributions provide rare hard-earned insights into the long-term efficacy, safety, and stability of 3 procedures that have revolutionized refractive surgery and the treatment of corneal shape disorders. In keeping with our goal of publishing the most important studies for practicing cataract and refractive surgeons, this issue also features a 4000-case comparison of femtosecond laser–assisted and conventional cataract surgery (pages 49–52). The success of JCRS can be measured by different criteria, each reflecting a distinct aspect of the journal’s mission. Our impact factor, which considers the number of citations in 2013 pointing to papers published in 2011 and 2012, rose to 2.553 in the most recent analysis and led to an increase in ranking to 15th of 58 journals in the ophthalmology category. As the leading journal in its subspecialty, JCRS continues to shape the science and clinical practice of cataract and refractive surgery while offering highly practical features such as the Consultation Section and technique reports. These features continue to garner high ratings in our annual readership survey and reflect our commitment to providing useful, practice-enhancing information irrespective of the calculus of the impact factor. We owe much to the efforts of our Consultation Section editors for soliciting excellent written opinions on challenging cases and for expertly distilling the most salient points in their concluding comments. Our JCRS-sponsored symposia at the annual ESCRS and ASCRS meetings emphasize timely debates on controversies in cataract and refractive surgery, and these events continue to draw large crowds, lively discussion, and positive feedback from attendees. With over 1300 article submissions per year, we owe an unpayable debt to our editorial board, reviewers, and authors. These are the people upon whom the ultimate work of putting out a high-quality journal rests. We especially wish to thank our first-rate editorial staff across 2 continents—Christine Ford, Wendy Pacheco, Lou Dragon, Louise Brennan, Alison Rowan McEwan, and our superb reference librarian, Reva Hurtes. Thank you all for your dedication. As the Scottish poem “Auld Lang Syne” calls us to remember long-standing friendships while we say goodbye to the past year and welcome the new one, we find ourselves saying goodbye to a profoundly important champion of the journal. Christine Ford, managing editor par excellence, is retiring after 31 years of remarkable service to the JCRS and ASCRS. There is no single person who has impacted the journal more. Her organizational skills have allowed the undersigned editors to function as a unit despite the miles between us, and her tireless pursuit of quality has had an impact on many thousands of pages of JCRS over the years. She will be greatly missed, but we will live vicariously through her as she finds more time for new adventures on the hiking trails. She leaves us in wonderful hands as Wendy Pacheco assumes the role of managing editor, and we look forward to working together to make 2015 the best year yet for JCRS. We encourage your continued feedback on how JCRS can improve the user experience and thank you for your support. Best wishes in the New Year!