Milan – Fashion, Food, Finance…and Ophthalmology

The ESCRS annual Congress returns to full strength in Milan, September 16–20. After a yearlong diet of Zoom calls and virtual symposia, those attending the conference will now have a full menu of enticing in-person educational and social opportunities. You will find the main courses of the main symposia and clinical research symposia, along with a smorgasbord of educational courses and an abundance of videos, free papers, posters, and workshops. There will something for everybody.

The ESCRS last met in Milan in 2012. Last year’s Congress in Amsterdam demonstrated the benefits of again meeting in person with friends and colleagues. This year’s Congress will be in the MiCo, the largest conference centre in Milan, located a short metro ride from the city centre.

The conference gets underway on Friday with several interesting offerings. These include the premier of iNovation, an ESCRS symposium that looks to the future of ophthalmology from the clinical, research pipeline, and business perspectives (see the related article on the next page).

Friday also includes Cornea Day, offering a series of presentations and case reports, and the first of the Main Symposia – a combined presentation with EuCornea that will cover “Emerging Treatment Options for Corneal Endothelial Disease”. Drs Béatrice Frueh and Massimo Busin will chair the session, which features talks of endothelial cell loss, the role of DMEK and DSAEK, and the potential of ROCK inhibitor therapy.

Also on Friday, the World Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (WSPOS) will hold their Subspecialty Day in conjunction with the ESCRS Congress. Be sure to catch up on glaucoma research at Glaucoma Day, cosponsored by the ESCRS and the European Glaucoma Society.

You will not want to miss the opening ceremony of the Congress on Saturday, which will highlight the ESCRS’s efforts to create a sustainable future for ophthalmology. Dutch ophthalmologist Sjoerd Elferink will conduct a thought-provoking talk on sustainability in cataract surgery, with some sobering facts but also some positive suggestions for addressing the global climate situation.

For the first time, the opener will bring together the winners of the prizes for best poster, best video, and the Henahan Essay Contest. Béatrice Cochener-Lamard MD, PhD will then deliver the annual Ridley Medal Lecture, speaking on “How the digital world is entering our practice”.

The topics of subsequent Main Symposia during the conference will include “Demystifying IOL Optics”; “Fast track Cataract”; and “How Not to Be Surprised by Refractive Surprise”.

The Clinical Research Symposia are always a must-see at the conference. Four sessions throughout the day on Saturday will take a closer look: “Digital Medicine – 6 steps for a better future”; “Ocular tissue engineering, artificial Cornea”; “Advancement of IOL optics – how far can we go?”; and finally, “Gene Therapy”. The latter will cover gene therapy throughout the field of ophthalmology, including Stargardt disease, Fuchs’ and other corneal dystrophies, Leber Congenital Amaurosis- RPE65, and AMD.

Young ophthalmologists will also find plenty to keep them busy. The YO Programme has become an essential part of the conference. This year will look at the many challenges of learning phaco surgery. Each step in phaco surgery will be discussed by a leading clinician and accompanied by video cases submitted by young ophthalmologists –  a format that has proven very popular at past meetings.

The associated YO session will closely examine the intersection between cataract surgery and other eye diseases, including ocular surface and eyelid disease, cornea ectasia, and endothelial dystrophy. Additionally, it will look between cataract surgery and other eye diseases following corneal transplantation and following refractive surgery.

The Practice Management & Development Masterclass takes place on Sunday. This will be a full day of presentations and discussions covering everything from business and management skills to AI and sustainability – see related article in this issue.

We hope to see you in Milan to share the feast we prepared. Buon appetito!