CHIEF MEDICAL EDITOR’S PAGE s HERE’S TO THE CRAZY ONES

he famous “1984” the answer was, “That’s just brilliant for introducing commercial is how it’s done,” I wouldn’t scrambling to the NFL. regarded as one of accept it. I would push to Before him, quarterbacks the greatest advertise- make it better, any way didn’t try to slip away from ments of all time. It I could. sacks. It took 40 years for helpedT put Apple on the I saw so many of my someone to realize that, map. While I can respect peers looking at things when a 300-pound man is the disruptive spirit of through the same lens, and trying to tackle you, you “1984,” I personally prefer it was blinding their abil- should run away. Really? Apple’s “Here’s to the Crazy ity to innovate. I realized Of course, for every suc- Ones” commercial. that if I wanted to change cess like these, there are a First airing in 1997, it ophthalmology, I didn’t thousand failures. It sure features black-and-white need to be talented. I just felt like that for me, any- footage of iconic per- needed to think differently. way. But no matter how sonalities such as Albert That was the real brilliance bitter those defeats, the Einstein, Muhammad of the ad, by the way. It taste of one victory made Ali, Amelia Earhart, and introduced the great- it all worthwhile. Pablo Picasso. Narrated by est tagline ever written: Our focus in this issue Richard Dreyfuss, it starts, “Think different.” of GT is innovations in “Here’s to the crazy ones. So much of what we see glaucoma treatment. We The misfits. The rebels. The as brilliant is not. It’s just are seeing some incredible troublemakers.” It goes people being brave enough breakthroughs coming on to celebrate these shit to question conventional to our field, but we can’t disturbers (as we say in wisdom. Fittingly, this rely solely on technology Canada) as the people who describes Steve Jobs. The for innovations. pushed humanity forward, man who revolutionized As doctors, we are the ones who changed computers never wrote a taught that education the world. line of code in his life. He and training will make us As an outspoken, long- just thought differently smarter and more innova- haired brown guy trying about how people wanted tive. I think it’s an ability to to figure out his place in to interact with tech- step back from our train- ophthalmology, this com- nology. At a time when ing and see things through mercial spoke to me. It was everyone was focused on fresh eyes that actually only when I started to have the fastest processors, he drives our craft forward. some success, and saw focused on user experience. A chip on your shoulder what it took to achieve it, At a time when the and an openness to failing that I realized the true bril- brightest engineers were don’t hurt either. Long hair liance of this ad. convinced that electric cars is optional. n The people featured in would never be feasible the ad had incredible tal- without larger, more pow- ent. I did not; there was erful batteries, Elon Musk nothing special about my decided to take a whole skills that would guarantee bunch of existing batteries my success. What did end and stick them together. up bringing me success was Then Tesla was born. challenging the status quo. Quarterback Fran IQBAL IKE K. AHMED, MD, FRCSC I would ask, “Why?” And if Tarkenton was considered CHIEF MEDICAL EDITOR

MAY/JUNE 2018 | GLAUCOMA TODAY 5