EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
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Reporting from the 2015 AAO annual meeting, November 14–17, Las Vegas EW MEETING REPORTER 76 and videos, and 8 Academy Cafes scheduled. Additionally, Dr. Rubenstein said that this year's meeting has the most online avail- ability ever, and there are more than 600 exhibitors. Dr. Van Gelder discussed the mission of AAO and updated attend- ees on AAO's progress in achieving its mission, ongoing initiatives, and challenges moving forward. AAO has 28,000 registrants for this year's meeting, he said, which shows that there is "no substitute for learning directly from our peers." During the Opening Session, the Laureate Award, the AAO's high- est honor, went to Bruce Spivey, MD, San Francisco. The CEO of the Academy, David Parke II, MD, San Francisco, also spoke, as did presi- dent-elect William Rich III, MD, FACS, Fairfax, Va. Everyone in attendance chose a career in ophthalmology for differ- ent reasons, Dr. Parke said. "But we all treasured direct patient contact." We are bound together by a shared sense of mission in the enjoyment of interacting with patients and the obligation that ensues by the trust they place in us, he said. Editors' note: The speakers are all involved with AAO, but have no other related financial interests. There is dual modality, en face flow information, as well as cross section- al structure information simultane- ously and depth encoded. Although this is not a replacement for FA/ OCT, it offers new information, he said. Currently, possible clinical utilities include use in the diagnosis of choroidal neovascularization and also to identify diabetic retinopathy, but Dr. Duker expects the OCTA to become available to a wider range of surgeons soon. Editors' note: Dr. Duker has finan- cial interests with Alcon, Carl Zeiss Meditec, EyeNetra (Somerville, Mass.), Hemera Bioscience (Newton, Mass.), Nicox (Fort Worth, Texas), Ophthotech, Optovue (Fremont, Calif.), and ThromboGenics (Leuven, Belgium). Opening Session The AAO Opening Session began with remarks from Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, Chicago, followed by the Academy President's Address given by Russell N. Van Gelder, MD, PhD, Seattle, and the Academy Awards. This year's meeting is packed with valuable educational opportu- nities and technological advance- ments, Dr. Rubenstein said. There are 246 instruction courses, 58 skills labs, 43 symposia, 3 spotlight sym- posia, hundreds of scientific posters Editors' note: Dr. Lambert has financial interests with Retrophin (San Diego). Genetic counseling, testing a small but important part of the clinic Although the need for genetic test- ing may be rare, specialists should be aware of the options available, said Wallace Alward, MD, Iowa City, Iowa. One resource is the web- site genetests.org, which reports on the available genetic tests for various diseases. Genetic testing ranges any- where from $250 to $1,500. Genetic counseling with patients is advisable for a family history with dominant juvenile open-angle glaucoma, an- iridia, and several other conditions, Dr. Alward said. Obtaining a base- line disc photo in patients receiving genetic counseling can be helpful with future monitoring. Editors' note: Dr. Alward has financial interests with InnFocus (Miami). Using OCT angiography During the second day of Retina Subspecialty Day, Jay Duker, MD, Boston, focused his presentation on OCT angiography (OCTA). This technology provides 3D angiograms of the retinal and choroidal vascu- lature. It's rapid, only taking about 3–6 seconds; there is no dye injec- tion; there is no dye leakage; and it offers the ability to segment differ- ent areas. "You get beautiful angio- grams with this technology," Dr. Duker said. A major advantage is go- ing to be its availability. By the end of 2016, all OCT companies should be offering OCTA, he said. "You get both structure and flow at the same time," he added. The depth-encoded aspect allows the surgeon to look at the individual vascular layers. There are a few potential disadvantages, including that there is no leakage, pooling or staining; there is a small field of view (only up to 9 x 9 cur- rently available); and artifacts need to be dealt with and may limit the ability to interpret the OCTA. OCTA offers a new application of a widely available and very useful imaging system (the OCT), Dr. Duker said. continued on page 78 View videos from AAO 2015: EWrePlay.org Kathryn Colby, MD, PhD, discusses the identification and management of infections and glaucoma in patients with keratoprostheses. December 2015 Sponsored by