Eyeworld

Cornea Society News – published quarterly by the Cornea Society 4 T his year at the American Acad- emy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting in Chicago, the Cornea Society will co-sponsor a symposium with the German Oph- thalmological Society (DOG) titled "The Future of Cornea in 3D: Drugs, Devices and Diagnostics." Elmer Tu, MD, Chicago, president of the Cornea Society and one of the chairs of the session, spoke about the upcoming symposium. "Every year, we try to highlight top- ics that are practical and that will have an immediate impact on both compre- hensive and corneal specialists," he said. "For this year's symposium, we wanted to focus not on a particular condition but on technology and drugs that are currently available that have new or unique uses for the anterior segment surgeon or products that are expected to be soon available that will have a signifi- cant impact on clinical practice." Dr. Tu added that there is "some- thing for everyone in the symposium." For the comprehensive ophthalmologist, he thinks that an understanding of the new biologic drugs for autoimmune scleritis and keratitis that are safer and more effective than corticosteroids as well as the evolution of new diagnos- tic imaging technologies for surgical and clinical care are especially useful. "There's also a wealth of content for the cornea specialist addressing the use of VEGF inhibitors as well as the continued promise of molecular diagnostics for infectious keratitis," he said. Ophthalmologists have had the ben- efit of a wide array of therapeutics, espe- cially with the ability to use drugs and diagnostics topically, Dr. Tu said. "There are still, however, diseases that are difficult to treat or diagnose in a timely fashion, and we might help preserve vision if they are treated promptly," he said. "This is the focus of the sympo- sium, looking at techniques that offer the promise of faster, safer, and more effective treatment of those conditions where time matters because irreversible damage is occurring." Although uncommon, almost every ophthalmologist will see scleritis or infectious keratitis in his or her practice where the outcome will rely heavily on their initial and continuing manage- ment, Dr. Tu said. The symposium will include pre- sentations on a variety of topics and will feature several case discussions. "The case presentations are designed to highlight and reinforce the concepts pre- sented in each session, posing a practical clinical scenario with input from all of the panel members as to the tools to use from the toolbox," Dr. Tu said. The symposium will also include the Castroviejo Lecture, this year to be given by Alan Sugar, MD, on the topic of "The Ethical Basis of Clinical Research." Dr. Tu said that the Castroviejo Award recognizes the highest level of achievement in the Cornea Society. "This is the Society's highest award and is given in recognition of exceptional contributions in support of the Society's mission: to promote knowledge, re- search, and understanding in cornea, ex- ternal disease, and refractive surgery," he said. "Dr. Sugar has published a plethora of impactful scientific work over his long career in every aspect of cornea and external disease and has contributed his time and expertise as editor-in-chief of the Cornea journal, amplifying his im- pact on the field of cornea." CN Cornea Society symposium at AAO to highlight drugs, devices, and diagnostics Update to the Declaration of Istanbul on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism announced at international workshop T he first new edition of the Declaration of Istanbul on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism, a seminal document that has helped to guide ethical practice in organ donation and transplantation around the world, was presented at an international workshop in Madrid, Spain in July. The declaration is available in both English and Spanish from the Global Alliance of Eye Bank Associations at www.gaeba.org/publications. The Declaration was originally published in 2008 after a meeting of The Transplantation Society (TTS) and the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) in response to concerns about international trafficking in human organs. The Declaration of Istanbul Custodian Group (DICG) is an international group of transplant professionals and scholars that works closely in collaboration with its parent organizations, TTS and ISN, to encourage and support imple- mentation of the Declaration's principles around the world. In 2017 the DICG formed an international working group to draft a new edition of the Declaration, updating the definitions and principles in light of clinical, legal, and social de- velopments in the field throughout the last decade. CN

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