ONS joins UMSL to present spring program

The spring 2013 Educational Symposium of the Ocular Nutrition Society, partnering with the University of Missouri-St. Louis School of Optometry, was a great weekend of continuing education, combined with wine and chocolate.

The 2-day symposium started on March 13 with published authors Michael Fossel, MD, and David Woynarowski, MD, who shared in-depth details of basic clinical science of telomeres and age-related disease. Their information was based on Nobel Prize-winning research from 2009 and included theoretical as well as practical advice on how to address aging and eye diseases.

The March 14 program started off with Nuran Ercal, MD, PhD, giving an overview of antioxidants that prevent and may cure cataracts, macular degeneration and other diseases. She discussed oxidative stress as a consequence of cellular defense, as well as small antioxidant molecules and their implications in diseases. She finished up with a talk on the effects of glutathione pro-drugs on eye disorders (specifically cataracts and AMD).

The program finished up with Stuart Richer, OD, PhD, (and facilitator of the program) giving talks on the anterior segment and nutrition and the cornea, “our crystal ball to the cardiovascular tree,” based on some very recent research.

I gave the last presentation, entitled, “Genes, food and chronic eye disease: The GMO effect,” where I discussed the basis of gene therapy and the process of genetic modification of our food supply.

Overall, it was a great program and well attended. We're now putting the final touches on our fall program, to be held 1 day prior to the American Academy of Optometry meeting in Seattle, Oct. 22. Stay tuned for more details.