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Interview with Robert Ritch, MD
OSN speaks with Robert Ritch, MD, about the upcoming Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology meeting in Bali.
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Ocular Surgery News: What are you most looking forward to about this year’s Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology-American Academy of Ophthalmology joint meeting?
Robert Ritch, MD: First of all, it’s in Bali, [Indonesia], and I’ve never been to Bali, so I’m looking forward to that. So are many other people. I’m also looking forward to being back in Asia and seeing many friends and colleagues that I have known over the years.
But those are personal reasons. From the standpoint of the meeting itself, I expect a very high scientific quality, as Asia continues to progress into the forefront of international research in ophthalmology, and not just clinical ophthalmology or clinical research but work in stem cells, nanotechnology and genetics.
The APAO has been growing steadily, both in numbers of attendees and in quality of presentations, as the 21st century develops into the century of Asia. More and more Nobel prizes and research breakthroughs are coming out of this area.
OSN: What aspects of this year’s meeting will make it valuable for its attendees?
 Robert Ritch |
Dr. Ritch: This meeting will have a more global presence than before in terms of speakers and attendees. There will be symposia, courses and an extensive video program, which is becoming more and more important at conferences, whereas free papers are decreasing in importance.
OSN: As international coordinator for the glaucoma scientific program committee of the meeting, how is the glaucoma portion of the program being developed?
Dr. Ritch: First, we went all out to get geographic distribution. We reserved about 30% of our moderator and speaker slots for Asians, but made a great effort to get top speakers from the U.S. and Europe. We have arranged 10 symposia on widely varied topics, and not just the standard program symposia but innovative, cutting-edge topics.
OSN: What do you think will be some of the highlights of the glaucoma portion of the meeting?
Dr. Ritch: The symposia will include high-resolution ocular imaging, non-pressure dependent mechanisms in glaucoma (remember that 90% of the primary open-angle glaucoma in Japan and 80% in Korea consist of what is termed normal-tension glaucoma), tissue bioengineering and nanotechnology.
There will also be practically oriented symposia on angle closure, glaucoma implants and new approaches to glaucoma surgery. We will have a large number of internationally known speakers from all over the world. An extensive surgical video program should be another highlight of the meeting. In the evenings, there will be a broad array of cultural events.
The abstract submission deadline for videos will be Jan. 31.
OSN: What could other subspecialists and general ophthalmologists learn about the subspecialty of glaucoma from the meeting’s program?
Dr. Ritch: Just as much as they could learn by going to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
There will probably be a better handle on what is going on with regeneration and tissue bioengineering using stem cells than one would get in the U.S. since there are active efforts going on using progenitor cells and cell expansion techniques to provide tissues for transplantation. Stem cell research is advancing steadily in Asia, while in the U.S., it is being stifled by forces of ignorance and superstition.
- Robert Ritch, MD, can be reached at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, 310 E. 14th St., New York, NY 10003; 212-477-7540; fax: 212-420-8743; e-mail: ritchmd@earthlink.net.