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VISTA celebrates 20 years June 2012 by Michelle Dalton EyeWorld Contributing Editor EW CORNEA 37 Dr. O'Brien shared images of severe, suppurative ulcerative keratitis (left) and advanced ulcerative keratolysis (right) as part of his keynote address, asking members to seek better strategies for preventing tissue destruction during the course of microbial keratitis Source (all): Terrence O'Brien, M.D. By joining with the Cornea Society, VISTA founder Terrence O'Brien, M.D., has big plans for the corneal group W hen VISTA began 20 years ago in Sarasota, Fla., "it was a place for young corneal special- ists who had an inter- est in research to get together and sit around discussing difficult cases or newer treatments or innovative re- search," said Terrence O'Brien, M.D., Charlotte Breyer Rodgers Dis- tinguished Chair and professor of ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Shortly there- after, the group formalized and traditionally meets on the Sunday night of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO, Rockville, Md.) meeting. "A vista is an outlook, a scene, a happy place," Dr. O'Brien said, adding the group's name was chosen specifically to represent those defini- tions. Over the years, the core group has expanded and grown by bring- ing fellows and students into the fold "to keep it young and vibrant," Dr. O'Brien said. At this year's ARVO meeting, more than 12 countries were represented at the VISTA din- ner; overall there are about 200 members in the group representing every aspect of corneal science. For cornea and external disease specialists, "VISTA at ARVO has been a highlight for the last 20 years," said Michael W. Belin, M.D., vice president, international relations, the Cornea Society, Fairfax, Va. VISTA's success "is a testament" to Dr. O'Brien and "the devotion of its young and aging attendees." However, funding has become more problematic, and with ARVO's move out of southern Florida to Seattle next year, it made sense for the or- ganization to look beyond its bor- ders, Dr. Belin said. "Over the past year the Cornea Society and Dr. O'Brien have held discussions that led to the merging of VISTA and the Cornea Society," Dr. Belin said. "The Society brings its meeting management expertise and looks to continue to work with Dr. O'Brien to ensure the continuation and growth of the VISTA educa- tional program. Plans are already under way for Seattle. As VISTA now enters its 21st year, the strength of the Cornea Society should guarantee that the next 20 will be as rewarding as the first." Eduardo C. Alfonso, M.D., professor and chairman, ophthal- mology department, and director, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, also commended Dr. O'Brien's efforts, noting "he was the driving force for starting VISTA and making sure it took place over the past 20 years. We all look forward to the support from the Cornea Society to continue the unique learning opportunities that this meeting provides to cornea specialists." Dr. O'Brien said the decision to join with the Cornea Society made logical sense, as both groups are active in encouraging younger spe- cialists join, and both groups build bridges for interaction among bench scientists and clinicians. "No one holds anything back during the VISTA "family-like" din- ners—they are lively discussions sur- rounding stimulating, challenging cases and problems," Dr. O'Brien said. This year, one of the case pre- sentations was on chopsticks in the eye and another was on sexually transmitted diseases in the sclera. "Those of us who are more experi- enced are mentoring our younger colleagues; oftentimes throughout the years, the VISTA meeting has been their first chance to present a case in front of the experts," he said. Calling the VISTA dinner his personal highlight of ARVO, Dr. O'Brien said he'd like to see the group move beyond just a once- yearly dinner meeting to dinner meetings at the various Cornea Society events as well. Other plans down the road include launching a VISTA newsletter and possibly hav- ing the groups' members collaborate on a clinical trial. "I'm looking forward to the next 20 years and collaborating with the Cornea Society to continue to promote the insurgence of youth into our organizations," Dr. O'Brien said. During this year's keynote ad- dress, Dr. O'Brien delivered a call to action to all VISTA scientists to ac- tively seek better strategies for pre- venting tissue destruction during the course of microbial keratitis. He dedicated the address to Dan B. Jones, "the consummate clinician, brilliant teacher, and the Obi-Wan Kenobi of microbial keratitis," as well as the many mentors, fellows, residents, and colleagues with whom he has worked over the years. His hope is that the next 20 years will bring an enlightened approach with adjunctive therapies to prevent scarring, loss of trans- parency, and loss of vision from keratitis. He cited some early yet promising use of collagen crosslink- ing with ultraviolet light and ri- boflavin as an adjunctive measure to help in cases of recalcitrant keratitis. EW Contact information Alfonso: ealfonso@med.miami.edu Belin: mwbelin@aol.com O'Brien: tobrien@med.miami.edu