EDITORIAL - HUGE ADVANCEMENTS

The 20th ESCRS Winter Meeting in Athens, Greece is being held in conjunction with the 30th Meeting of the Hellenic Society of Intraocular Implant and Refractive Surgery (HSIOIRS). This 20th ESCRS meeting is the third time the society has joined a meeting in Athens with HSIOIRS – the first taking place in 1999 and the second in 2007.

The first ESCRS Winter Meeting was held in Madrid on 31 January 1997. The meeting hosted fewer than 200 delegates and two exhibition companies. There have been huge advancements since then, both in the field of ophthalmology and the ESCRS. We expect over 1,000 ophthalmologists at this year’s meeting in Athens.

Originally conceived as a conference dedicated to refractive surgery, the Winter Meeting has evolved over the last 20 years. The didactic courses on refractive and cataract surgery and cornea are the centerpiece of the congress. Along with Cornea Day, main symposia, wetlabs, free papers and an exciting Young Ophthalmologists Programme ensure there is a diversified programme available to all delegates. Meanwhile, an extensive industry exhibition highlights the enormous innovations in technology available to surgeons in our field.

Main symposia on key topics include ‘Explantations of Ocular Implants’, ‘Untold Secrets in Refractive Surgery’ and ‘IOL Solutions for Posterior Capsular Tears’. I would also urge delegates to attend the HSIORS symposium and the Live Surgery session organised by our hosts.

For those of you who may decide to stay on in Athens after the meeting, you can look forward to a treasure trove of sights and experiences. Visit the iconic Parthenon, which crowns the Acropolis and draws the eye from vantage points all over Athens. It is the image of the city that you will never forget and you will take away memories of an unforgettable experience after you visit the most important surviving building of classical Greece.

Within walking distance from the conference centre, there are many important museums, like the Benaki Museum, The Museum of Cycladic Art and Ethniki Pinakothiki Museum. You should also walk around Pláka, the old historical neighbourhood of Athens clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture.

As I have noted before, although scientific and technological progress is very important, we must never lose sight of the founding principles of the great philosophers and inventors of ancient times who have much to teach us about the key values that spur genuine innovation.

For our readers not making the trip to Athens this month, this issue of EuroTimes has many interesting articles and reports. The cover story on new lenses for presbyopia correction reviews the many lenses available on the market, and the evaluation criteria which are the keys to understanding the real function of the these lenses and in particular the final effect in vision quality.

In addition there are reports on longer follow-up on crosslinking and iStent® trabecular bypass, and an article on “Emmetropia: The Perfect Imperfection”. This is a subject very close to my heart. As I point out in the article, the very definition of the term “emmetropia” may have to change, in light of the increasing understanding of the complex interaction between the static and dynamic components of the human optical system and their subtler impacts on vision.

I hope you enjoy this issue of EuroTimes.