EuCornea international dimension

Friedrich Kruse, President of EuCornea, addressing delegates at the Opening Ceremony of the 9th EuCornea Congress in Vienna, Austria. THE increasingly international dimension of EuCornea was highlighted as a sure sign of the vitality and well-being of the Society as delegates gathered in Vienna for the 9th EuCornea Congress. Welcoming delegates to Austria’s historic capital city, Friedrich Kruse, President of EuCornea, expressed satisfaction with the momentum that the organisation has built up in a relatively short time. “This year I am delighted to say that we have over 630 delegates from 63 countries registered for our Congress. This underlines the truly international nature of our Society and the impact that EuCornea has made in such a relatively short time,” he said. Launched in 2009 in Barcelona during the XXVII Congress of the ESCRS, the first EuCornea Congress was held in Venice in 2010 and has now firmly established itself as a major point of reference for cornea specialists. Dr Kruse said that he was gratified to see so many delegates coming to Vienna to support the meeting and said it provided a firm platform for the future growth of EuCornea. Delegates will enjoy a choice of excellent sessions over the next two days covering all the latest developments in cornea and ocular surface disease presented by leaders in the field, he said. “Our mission is to try to enlarge the knowledge of corneal and ocular surface disease. With that in mind,we have a range of symposia and courses and are very proud that we have a great number of original papers and posters being presented at our meeting,” he said. Dr Kruse encouraged delegates attending the congress to become full members of EuCornea if they have not already done so. “New members can avail of all the benefits of membership including access to the online journal which is picking up pace and making its mark in corneal and ocular surface disease as well,” he said. The strength of this year’s scientific programme, with seven focus sessions dedicated to key issues in corneal and ocular surface treatment and a wide range of training courses, underscores the outstanding support that EuCornea has received from its members, said Dr Kruse. As part of the Opening Ceremony, Carlos Belmonte of Alicante, Spain delivered the EuCorneaMedal Lecture on the topic of the “Neural basis of eye surface sensations: from dryness to pain.” In closing the ceremony, Dr Kruse reminded delegates of the 10th EuCornea Congress taking place in Paris in September 2019.