38th Congress of the ESCRS a truly memorable event

The format might be somewhat different but the commitment to deliver a high-quality meeting packed with the latest clinical research and education remains as strong as ever, said Rudy MMA Nuijts, President of the ESCRS at the official opening of the 38th Congress of the ESCRS . “While it is deeply regrettable that we can’t all gather in Amsterdam for a live meeting as we would have liked, we are nevertheless determined to make this year’s Congress a truly memorable event. This is not the ESCRS Congress we have become accustomed to, but many of the elements that always make this meeting so special still remain,” said Dr Nuijts. Dr Nuijts said that this year’s virtual Congress offered a first-rate scientific programme with a wide range of symposia, clinical research, instructional courses, poster village, video sessions and satellite meetings covering every key aspect of ophthalmology. “The scientific programme speaks for itself. We have four rooms streaming sessions across a myriad of topics. We have lively discussion interspersed throughout, and everything will be available for you to watch later in your own time, because we know there is simply too much for you to see ‘live’ first time around. Our goal is that a virtual meeting will continue to offer a truly international experience in an unprecedented format for all participants, keeping up the high ESCRS scientific standards,” he said. Particular highlights to watch for at this year’s Congress include keynote lectures on different aspects of the COVID-19 crisis by David Heymann from the United Kingdom and Marcel Levi from the Netherlands, the ESCRS Heritage Lecture by Theo Seiler speaking about cataract surgery and laser vision correction, and the Ridley Medal Lecture, delivered this year by David Chang on the topic of “Five Compelling Lessons from the Greatest Team of Cataract Surgeons”. Dr Nuijts thanked all the sponsors, exhibitors and presenters for supporting the move to a virtual platform. “I urge all delegates to visit the virtual exhibition. I must also thank all of our presenters, moderators and chairpersons for getting involved and so wholeheartedly taking to this new challenge,” he said. In concluding, Dr Nuijts reminded delegates that the Congress also offers a very full social programme with a live music session on Friday night with DJs Lukas and Steve from Maastricht and a Gershwin concert on Saturday evening with the renowned Koninklijk Concertgebouw Orchestra. “We hope that you have an enjoyable three days of virtual meeting and that we can compensate for the loss of experiencing a physical meeting, by offering you some leisure ingredients that you can share with your friends and loved ones,” he said.

Tags: ESCRS Virtual Congress 2020