OPHTHALMOLOGY IS one of the most satisfying medical specialties because we make so many patients happy: prescribing glasses, removing a cataract, or fixing a retinal detachment. Some ocular conditions, however, are not so easily dealt with. Unfortunately, even in the 21st century, there remain some conditions for which we do not yet have a cure. Patients are frequently unable to accept this fact. They read the newspapers and spend hours on the Internet and cannot accept that "nothing more can be done." For such patients, our most important role may be to admit defeat and then provide the appropriate education and support.