World Ophthalmology Congress: A unique meeting of meetings

Ophthlamological societies from around the world gathered in São Paulo to discuss and debate the latest advances in eye care.

ByJorge L. Alió del Barrio, MD, PhD

Jorge L. Alió, MD, PhD [photo]
Jorge L. Alió

SAO PAULO — The World Ophthalmology Congress, which took place in the cosmopolitan city of São Paolo in February, was indeed a meeting of meetings. Not only were they celebrating within the framework of the WOC the 30th International Congress of Ophthalmology, the 26th Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology, and the 17th Brazilian Congress of the Prevention of Blindness, but also other societies such as the International Council of Ophthalmology, International Federation of Ophthalmic Societies, Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology and the Brazilian Council of Ophthalmology.

The meeting also convened under the effective support of supranational ophthalmologic organizations such as the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the European Ophthalmologic Society, the Pan-Arab African Council of Ophthalmology, the International Society of Refractive Surgery, the International Ocular Inflammation Society, the Afro-Asian Council of Ophthalmology, and others. All together more than 60 societies either had delegates or directly co-sponsored sessions at the meeting.

This meeting of meetings was superb and offered a tremendous flavor of global ophthalmology. More than 120 countries had delegates at the meeting, which created a cosmopolitan atmosphere full of science and professional interaction.

Refractive advances

Refractive surgery played an important part in the scientific program. Latin American societies met mostly using the Spanish and Portuguese languages. In this regard, the ALACCSA (Asociacion Latinoamericana de Cirujanos de Cornea Catarata y Segmento Anterior) session was remarkable. It was a day-long meeting with more than 50 presentations and panel discussions. Topics ranged from lens surgery to advanced surface ablation techniques and new corneal grafting methods, reflecting the interest among Latin American surgeons in these relevant topics. It was interesting to see that in the Latin American environment, many anterior segment surgeons have entered and handled refractive surgical cases with extreme efficiency and high volumes. The specific needs of the Latin American region were well addressed during this meeting.

The ESCRS conducted an interesting session on presbyopia. The program covered the most important issues to date for the effective correction of presbyopia in phakic and aphakic eyes. Topics such as intracorneal implants for presbyopia, presbyLASIK techniques, conductive keratoplasty, and accommodative and multifocal IOLs were discussed in depth during this session. The International Intraocular Implant Club conducted a session on challenging cases in implant surgery that included challenging refractive problems. New topics like endoscopic anterior segment surgery, microincision cataract surgery, special IOL calculations, vitreoretinal surgery combined with lens surgery, and complications related to these procedures were extensively debated.

MICS a hot topic

At a time in which lens surgery and refractive surgery are a unique frontier, microincisional cataract techniques were extensively represented in the program. Many sessions and courses were conducted on what has been called bimanual phaco, phaconit, biaxial phacoemulsification, or, more commonly, MICS. Sub-1-mm lens surgery, new fluidics, new technologies, and the new generation of IOLs were extensively debated.

George O. Waring III, MD, conducted a very special session on “refractive surgery throughout a lifetime.” Refractive surgery was shown by Dr. Waring to be a continuous evolution in the life of a person, with indications from adolescence to old age. In this presentation, Dr. Waring clearly demonstrated how refractive surgery has a role in almost all ages in improving the sight and quality of life of patients. This new concept will be a hallmark in the future of the indications for refractive procedures.

New techniques with rings

Another frontier approached by refractive surgery is the use of intrastromal corneal rings to mold the cornea in normal and abnormal situations, especially in keratoconus. Several symposia and sponsored meetings investigated this topic in depth. Most of these sessions were conducted in Spanish or Portuguese, and the recent progresses in these techniques were made relevant. Different approaches for intrastromal corneal ring segment indications in keratoconus, how to get the best results and long-term outcomes were shown in the different meetings that took place on this topic.

Controversies discussed

A five-continent symposium on controversies in refractive surgery was directly linked with the special ISRS/AAO session on the same issue and coordinated topics on refractive procedures. The management of corneal ectasia after LASIK, phakic IOLs, all-laser LASIK and mechanical microkeratomes of the new generation, surface ablation techniques, and IOL surgery were extensively covered in these marathon sessions.

Complications in refractive surgery are decreasing, and those that are still present, such as ocular surface syndrome, also called dry eye after LASIK, all received special attention in most of these meetings. The combination of different refractive procedures to correct difficult or special cases was also analyzed extensively in these sessions.

The keratomileusis study group conducted a long symposium on corneal and lens refractive surgery. Panel discussions on worst-case scenarios, controversial topics, difficult cases and the use of newly emerging technologies received special attention at this meeting.

Hallmark meeting

In summary, refractive and lens surgery was one of the most important parts of the program of the World Ophthalmology Congress meeting. Topics reflected the worldwide interest in this continuously growing area and also the important interaction between professionals and the eye care industry to make these topics progress.

Refractive surgical tools such as intrastromal corneal ring segments or customized treatments are used more and more in therapeutic indications, creating a new frontier of refractive surgery that includes all types of laser surgery, the correction of the abnormal cornea, corneal adhesion technologies with new types of lamellar surgery, presbyopia, and a new generation of IOLs with new indications and new perspectives.

The present and the future were properly approached in the WOC program. Personal interaction, global atmosphere, extremely high scientific level and extremely well attended scientific sessions were the landmarks of the meeting. Congratulations to Dr. Rubens Belfort Jr. and the organization and all the organizers of these most relevant meetings for this tremendous achievement that is a hallmark in ophthalmic meetings.

For more information:

Jorge L. Alió, MD, PhD, is professor and chairman of ophthalmology and medical director of the Vissum Corp./Instituto Oftalmologica de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernandez, Alicante, Spain. He can be reached at Vissum, Instituto Oftalmologico de Alicante, Avda. De Denia, s/n 03016 Alicante, Spain; +34-965-150-025; fax: +34-965-151-501; e-mail: jlalio@vissum.com.