Those attending the conferences Barcelona Oculoplastics: Trends in Eyelid Surgery and Trends in Surgical & Medical Retina, organised by IMO in April and May, were unanimous in highlighting the quality of ophthalmologists in Barcelona, who have helped the city become a leading centre of world ophthalmology. Evidence of this is the city’s hosting in September of three major conferences focusing on key subspecialities of the discipline: WSPOS (World Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus), ESCRS (European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons) y EUCORNEA (European Society of Cornea & Ocular Surface Disease Specialists).
In total, more than 8,000 experts will gather, including the doctors of IMO, who will play a leading role in sharing and discussing with fellow ophthalmologists the most highly topical issues.
Developments in the management of strabismus and childhood eye diseases
The 3rd edition of the WSPOS Conference (4-6 September) will feature the participation of IMO’s entire Paediatric Ophthalmology, Strabismus and Neuro-Ophthalmology Department As a member of the local organising committee Dr. José Visa is one of those responsible for organising Spanish Day, “in which internationally-recognised Spanish-speaking ophthalmologists will present the latest developments in the subspeciality”, he explains. In this session, Dr Visa himself will talk about strabismus secondary to orbital decompression, while Dra. Ana Wert will focus on strabismus secondary to eye surgery.
As IMO specialist explains, “the surgical management of different types of strabismus and its complications will be one of the key themes of the conference with an extensive and varied programme featuring some of the world’s leading authorities”.
In addition, with respect to paediatric ophthalmology, there will be talks and lectures on almost all eye diseases that affect children, addressing the latest developments in the treatment of amblyopia, congenital glaucoma and cataracts and retinal diseases.
“There will also be discussion of the latest genetic findings in relation to vision disorders and new treatments for retinopathy of prematurity, as well as advances in paediatric ocular oncology”, concludes Dr Visa.
Safe and minimally-invasive refractive and cataract surgery
A field that has evolved significantly in recent years is refractive and cataract surgery, and this will be one of the main topics for discussion at the 33rd edition of the ESCRS Annual Conference (5-9 September), which will bring together around 5,500 specialists in Barcelona.
One of the highlights of the event will be a refractive surgery training course organised by Dr. José Luis Güell, who will also be offering an online course on different keratoplasty techniques and moderating a video symposium on surgical complications and a joint ESCRS/EuCornea symposium. The coordinator of IMO’s Cornea, Cataract and Refractive Surgery Department will also be giving a lecture on cataract surgery with femtosecond laser in difficult eyes and present an academic article related to intracorneal implants for presbyopia.
Dr. Daniel Elies will be teaching a refresher course featuring new tips for using the LASIK technique, moderate a question and answer session and a symposium on the causes and treatment of late dislocation of intraocular lenses and will be on the advisory committee for the new “Tecnis Symfony” multifocal intraocular lens and a panel discussion that will discuss the use of different materials in phakic lenses.
Coinciding with the ESCRS Conference, both specialists will perform a live surgery session organised by Zeiss on 4 September at IMO, in which they will be using the VisuMax platform to demonstrate the contribution of the femtosecond laser to the innovative Relex SMILE technique for the correction of myopia.
Experience and comprehensive care for addressing complex cases
Dra. Elena Arrondo will also be participating in the ESCRS Conference by moderating a presentation of clinical glaucoma cases and giving a talk on the management of this condition after keratoprosthesis implantation.
To discuss the issue in depth, IMO will be hosting a meeting of keratoprosthesis experts on 3 September, in which specialists in the treatment of patients with artificial corneas from around the world will share their experiences and present complex cases. These will include presentations by Dr Carlos Mateo, Dr Silvia Freixes and Dr Carolina Pallás, from IMO’s retina and glaucoma team, along with the glaucoma specialist Elena Arrondo and the cornea specialist Jose Luis Güell, the coordinators of this pre-EuCornea event.
Regarding the EuCornea Conference (4-5 September), “one of the key themes will be selective corneal transplantation”, explains Dr Güell, who will speak about it during a lecture on endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) and moderate a session on posterior lamellar keratoplasty.
Finally, the ophthalmologist will lead a course to learn about how to manage complications in lamellar corneal surgery and participate in a discussion on cataract surgery in diseases of the ocular surface, while Dr Arrondo will address the relationship of these diseases with glaucoma, especially in cases of corneal grafts.
