EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
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54 EW ASCRS PREVIEW March 2013 April 19-23, 2013 Anterior segment surgeons and retina by Michelle Dalton EyeWorld Contributing Writer Symposium on pharma interventions for patients with anterior and posterior diseases should educate and entertain attendees T his year's "Pharmacological Intervention for the Anterior Segment Surgery Patient With Retinal Disease," sponsored by the ASCRS Retina Clinical Committee, will "try to provide education for the general ophthalmologist and corneal anterior segment subspecialist about common retinal disorders that occur in patients for whom they are providing care," said moderator Keith A. Warren, M.D., Overland Park, Kan. "The idea is to offer anterior segment specialists some insight into how we manage those diseases, so they will know the most currently available treatment modalities, which patients are the best candidates for these treatments, when to appropriately refer a patient, and what are reasonable expectations for patient outcomes." For instance, Dr. Warren said some of the "real advances in the treatment of retinal disease" include the development of new anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (antiVEGF) treatments for neovascular age-related macular degeneration, in particular the use of aflibercept (Eylea, Regeneron, Tarrytown, N.Y.) "that may provide longer efficacy and not only works well for patients William F. Mieler, M.D., will be one of the panelists for "Pharmacological Intervention for the Anterior Segment Surgery Patient With Retinal Disease," sponsored by the ASCRS Retina Clinical Committee. Source: EyeWorld with macular degeneration, but also works well in a host of other diseases like diabetic macular edema," he said. Since the majority of retina patients also have cataract, "the question becomes how do we best manage these co-morbidities," Dr. Warren said. "Part of this committee's job is to help educate people about how and when to intervene— what special considerations are San Francisco fun fact The Golden Gate Bridge is a top tourist spot in San Francisco. It is the world's second longest single span bridge. Source: gocalifornia.about.com necessary in patients with retinal disorders? How should post-operative care differ?" To that end, Dr. Warren said the symposium will present "four or five" different clinical situations of retinal disorders and cataract in an interactive discussion between panelists and the audience. The panelists will be discussing issues such as how the current available medications (anti-VEGFs and ocriplasmin) will impact anterior segment surgery. "These are really translational events," he said. "Researchers had these compounds on the bench, were thinking how they could be used effectively to treat retina diseases, they were modified and underwent clinical study, and now we have them in our arsenal and they are really benefiting patients." Panelists include: David S. Boyer, M.D.; Tarek S. Hassan, M.D.; Michael J. Jumper, M.D.; William F. Mieler, M.D.; Kevin M. Miller, M.D.; Timothy W. Olsen, M.D.; and David F. Williams, M.D. Attendees will learn the retina specialist's perspective on how to co-manage these patients and when they recommend this subset of patients to undergo cataract surgery. Dr. Olsen will present on cataract surgery and pharmacology in the AMD patient; Dr. Boyer will discuss the management of both acute and chronic cystoid macular edema; Dr. Jumper will discuss the vasculopathic patient and cataract surgery; and Dr. Mieler will address macular pucker and vitreomacular traction. Perhaps saving the best for last, Dr. Warren said the last presentation will concentrate on the potential complications from intravitreal injections and will "really delve into the compounding issue, as there have been some reports of ocular infections following injections of medication that originated in a compounding pharmacy in New England." The presenter, Dr. Williams, was president of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) when the debate about access to Avastin (bevacizumab, Genentech, San Francisco) was raised over safety concerns related to compounding. "His unique perspective on this subject should provide for an interesting presentation and discussion," Dr. Warren said. The symposium is scheduled for 8:00-9:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 21, in Room 132-133 of the Moscone Center. EW Contact information Warren: KWarren@warrenretina.com