Eyeworld

91 EW CORNEA March 2015 by Ellen Stodola EyeWorld Staff Writer WCCVII sessions to highlight dystrophies, keratoconus Ectasia, DALK, corneal tissue engineering, and Fuchs' dystrophy are just some of the topics that will be covered T he World Cornea Congress VII from April 15–17 in San Diego will offer in-depth sessions on a number of issues important to the cornea subspecialty. 'Dystrophies, Degeneration, and Genetics' Kathryn Colby, MD, PhD, Bos- ton, will moderate the session on "Dystrophies, Degeneration, and Genetics," which will feature presen- tations on topics including stromal dystrophies, Fuchs' dystrophy, cornea degenerations, and other conditions. "There is so much going on with Fuchs' dystrophy," she said. "Over the last 5 years, we've had a revolution in the way we think about Fuchs' dystrophy." Martin Dirisamer, MD, Rotter- dam, the Netherlands, will discuss whether Fuchs' is a dystrophy or degeneration. The presentation will be based on his work showing that patients with Fuchs' dystrophy in whom there was incomplete DMEK graft attachment were able to detur- gesce their corneas with time, while those with pseudophakic bullous keratopathy were not; this suggests that the remaining rim of the recip- ient endothelium in Fuchs' patients plays a role in re-endothelialization. Thinking about a change in the way the most common indication for corneal transplantation is visualized is fascinating, Dr. Colby said. Anthony Aldave, MD, Los An- geles, will discuss genetic analyses. Dr. Colby said there are now corneal diseases where doing these analy- ses impact how physicians manage patients. Dr. Aldave's presentation will help physicians to know when and why to order genetic tests and how their results may change their management approach, she said. Ken Nischal, MD, Pittsburgh, will give the keynote lecture of the session, "Genetics of Congenital Corneal Opacities: Impact on Diag- nosis and Treatment." Dr. Nischal is one of the world's experts in con- genital corneal opacities, Dr. Colby said. His approach should provide participants a better sense of how they can manage babies and chil- dren who present in their office with corneal opacities. Dr. Nischal said his keynote lecture will address 3 main points: the lack of consistent nomenclature leading to a confused phenotype, which has led to contradictory geno- typing reports; the need for a new classification system based on accu- rate phenotyping and, as a result, more consistent genotyping; and the influence of such an approach to clinical outcomes. "I have been dealing with such cases since 1998 and have now treat- ed more than 300 cases," he said. "My experience is that using the novel classification system makes better informed decisions with re- spect to phenotyping and genotyp- ing, better decisions with respect to prognosis, and better understanding of achievable outcomes." Dr. Nischal said a major take- home message for attendees from his keynote lecture will be that "our nomenclature needs to improve, our classification needs to improve, and the outcome of intervention needs to be measured differently in infants compared to adults." April 7-9, 2010 Boston, MA • USA continued on page 92 World Cornea Congress preview Plan to attend the new WCCVII Corporate Luncheonette Program It will take place during the lunch break on Thursday, April 16 and Friday, April 17 during the World Cornea Congress VII. This complimentary lunch program will include various 10-minute talks sponsored by industry featuring updates on technologies, techniques, and therapeutics. Registered attendees will receive an email to register for the lunches.

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