EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/387844
EW MEETING REPORTER 132 October 2014 Reporting from the 2014 European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) Congress, London chamber, with the nucleus falling back onto the vitreous face; a "pupil snap" sign with marked pupillary constriction during vigorous hydro- dissection from capsule rupture; and reduction of aspiration from vitreous obstruction of the tip, Dr. Findl said. The Cataract National Dataset from the U.K. included the follow- ing risk factors for posterior capsule rupture: old age, white cataracts, pseudoexfoliation, small pupils, and surgeon experience. The Swedish Capsule Rupture Study Group found similar risk factors, including for different types of cataract, he said. Physician: AMD 'life-long' disease that provides no optimal time for cataract surgery Addressing the topic of "The retina after anti-VEGF injections at the time of cataract surgery," Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth, MD, Vienna, Austria, said that in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), there is no true "after" in regard to anti-VEGF therapy. There is, however, an "after" in many diabetic macular edema (DME) cases. Closing the joint ESCRS/ EURETINA symposium, Dr. Schmidt-Erfurth said that there is no "best time" to perform cataract surgery in patients with AMD because there is never a time when disease activity ends. "AMD is the best example of a chronic progressive disease and there's no good timing because there's no time after anti-VEGF ther- apy," she said. "Anti-VEGF therapy is a life-time requirement in AMD." "However, in DME, the story is completely different." DME appears to be a self-limit- ing disease when treated correctly, Dr. Schmidt-Erfurth said, with data showing that anti-VEGF therapy can be tapered off with proper treatment. "All the long-term studies with anti-VEGF therapy over many years in DME have shown that, in the be- ginning, you need 7 to 8 treatments, the second year, 3 to 4 treatments, and the third year, just 1 treatment," Dr. Schmidt-Erfurth said. By year 4 to 5, no further anti-VEGF treatments are needed. "So yes, in DME, there is such a thing as time 'after anti-VEGF therapy,'" she said. ESCRS holds Opening Ceremony The ESCRS Opening Ceremony took place on Sunday morning, begin- ning with a welcome from ESCRS President Roberto Bellucci, MD, Verona, Italy. Attendees included about 8,000 ophthalmologists from 125 countries around the world. Dr. Bellucci said during his term as president of ESCRS he will focus on education because he wants to ensure that ESCRS is regarded as a leader in high-quality education. "I would like to build on what we already have, develop it further, and look at introducing new educational sources for our members and delegates," he said. ESCRS has several active research projects, including a PREMED study on prevention of macular edema progression follow- ing cataract surgery in diabetic pa- tients, a patient reported outcomes study, FLACS Study, EUREQUO, and an endophthalmitis registry and new guidelines. "ESCRS continues to support the work of two charities, ORBIS and OXFAM," he said. The Society donates to both of these charities and is helping ORBIS to establish a child eye health tertiary facility at Gondar University Hospital in Ethiopia and supporting the OXFAM WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) program in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Following Dr. Bellucci's address, Brian Little, MD, London, U.K., the United Kingdom and Ireland Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (UKISCRS) president and local host, spoke. "[UKISCRS] concentrates very much on teaching and training and research," he said. "I'm delighted [in] my first presidential role to welcome you very warmly to the host city of London." Ridley Medal Lecture examines 4 decades of cataract surgery The Ridley Medal Lecture was presented this year by Gunther Grabner, MD, Salzburg, Austria, on "Four Decades of Cataract Surgery— Personal Visions for the Future." Dr. Grabner spoke about learn- ing intracapsular cataract extraction (ICCE) as a resident and the way that surgery is different from when he was first trained. "As I look back from ICCE, I'll give you subjective personal impressions," he said. Dr. Grabner's lecture discussed 4 main questions: Has safety been significantly improved? Can we permanently restore full visual View it now: ESCRS 2014 ... EWrePlay.org Soosan Jacob, MD, talks about her new technique, SIGS: stab-incision glaucoma surgery.