20/20 Vision

With the new decade having arrived rather noiselessly in our lives, many will still have a vision what it may/should have in store. It is appealing, not to say suggestive, to call this a “20/20 vision.” This term, however, is used by ophthalmologists to describe a normal visual acuity or sharpness of vision. A 20/20 vision means being able to see clearly at 20 feet what should be seen clearly at that distance. On the contrary, a 20/100 vision would mean that one must come as close as 20 feet to see clearly what people with a normal vision can see at 100 feet.

Sharp-eyed surgeons should be able to discern what lies only a few feet away and eventually prepare themselves for it. Catheter techniques are here to stay and it makes no sense to continue ignoring this fact. The surgical community must welcome the new possibilities for they offer a truly new extension of skills and knowledge. It was not that long ago when Denton Cooley somewhat derisively called VATS “that chopstick surgery.” It has, however, meanwhile revolutionized thoracic surgery to the benefit of our patients. The 20/20 vision must now be to warmly embrace the wires and sheaths and balloons rather than to leave them to others.

Visionary editors and publishers must likewise accept that Open Access (OA) is also here to stay and does have its definite advantages for the readers. The question, again, is how to integrate this new modality into the foundations of traditional publishing and its respective merits? Like our patients the readers are all for it because of less pain/cost. But is that really true? The so-called Plan S or the Projekt DEAL here in Germany are initiatives by university libraries and research institutions to negotiate a flat bulk rate with a few leading mega-publishers to enable their members/researchers to publish OA with them for free.[1] Although this sounds like a reasonable effort at first, it will probably severely distort the market in the longer run, because smaller publishers, learned societies, and also truly innovative new OA platforms will not be able to compete.[2] [3] And dependence on a few will make them dictate (markedly increased) prices in the future. Such are the laws of free market economy, necessitating a clearer vision at the moment.

Luckily for down-to-earth blues musicians, a 20/20 vision is much simpler to define and achieve for them. As Rory Gallagher sung in 1973:

People talk about her like she was a diamond on the shelf.

Well, I got 20/20 vision, I can see that for myself.

People talk about her like she was a diamond on the shelf.

Well, I got 20/20 vision, I can see that for myself.

I got 20/20 vision - and that's all I need.

Enough to keep my baby here by me.[4]

Well, in cardiac surgery as well as in scientific publishing we must not be content with keeping our baby. We have to make it grow! And for that we urgently need perfect vision(s).

• References

• 1 https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/08/bold-open-access-push-germany-could-change-future-academic-publishing , accessed January 30, 2020
• 2 https://oaspa.org/oaspa-feedback-on-plan-s-implementation-guidance/ , accessed January 30, 2020
• 3 debate in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ): A – Thiel Th. Die HRK verkauft die Wissenschaft. November 20, 2019. B – Alt P-A, Gaul J-P. Neue Publikationsmodelle und kein „Verkauf der Wissenschaft”. November 27, 2019. C – Thiel Th. Spekulationen im Indikativ. December 4, 2019
• 4 Gallagher R. 20:20 Vision; on: Tattoo, Polydor, London 1973