EuCornea builds momentum

EuCornea President Professor Friedrich Kruse said that he was heartened to see so many delegates supporting the 8th EuCornea Congress in Lisbon, Portugal, and said it provided a firm platform for the future growth and well-being of EuCornea. Dr Kruse expressed satisfaction with the momentum that the organisation has built up in a relatively short time, with more than 700 delegates registering for this year's congress. Launched in 2009 in Barcelona during the XXVII Congress of the ESCRS, the first EuCornea Congress was held in Venice in 2010, and the event has now firmly established itself as a major point of reference for cornea specialists. The strength of the scientific programme, with eight focus sessions dedicated to key issues in corneal and ocular surface treatment and a wide range of training courses, underscored the outstanding support that EuCornea has received from its members, said Dr Kruse. He also saluted the recent initiative of the European Cornea and Cell Transplant Registry, which aims to improve quality in corneal transplant surgery and urged delegates to contribute to making the registry a success. As part of the opening ceremony, François Malecaze of France, a former President of the organisation, delivered the EuCornea Medal Lecture on the topic of “Keratoconus: what have we accomplished and what is still left to do?” While keratoconus remains a mysterious disease with a complex pathophysiology, significant progress has been made in recent years in the diagnosis and management of the condition, Prof Malecaze told the Congress. “We still have much to learn about how this disease develops, but the good news is that the technological advances of recent years have transformed the decision tree of keratoconus patients and given us more options for effective treatment,” he said. Dr Kruse presented the prizes for Best Poster award to Rénuka Birbal, with joint second prize going to Alberto Villarrubia and David Cordeiro Sousa and third prize to Jorge Alió del Barrio. The next annual Cornea Day will take place during the 22nd ESCRS Winter meeting on 9 February 2018 in Belgrade, Serbia, and the 9th EuCornea Congress will be held in Vienna from 21-22 September 2018.

Tags: EuCornea