Eyeworld

EW MEETING REPORTER 82 November 2017 Reporting from the XXXV Congress of the ESCRS, October 7–11, Lisbon, Portugal corneal elastography, aberrometry, and epithelial thickness. The future for detecting keratoconus is most likely biomarkers, but we need better knowledge of the pathophysiology first. To wrap up, Dr. Malecaze discussed some of the advances in treatment of keratoconus, men- tioning medical treatment, contact lenses, and surgical treatment. Overview of allergic eye disease A session during the EuCornea Con- gress covered allergic eye disease, where everything from mechanisms of action to the clinical spectrum of allergic eye disease to the different treatment options were discussed. Harminder Dua, MD, Notting- ham, U.K., presented on the types of allergic eye disease. Acute allergic conjunctivitis, he said, can occur at any age, but most- ly occurs in children. Its symptoms involve intense itching and swelling, but it is usually self-limiting and generally requires no treatment. EuCornea opening ceremony Friedrich Kruse, MD, Erlangen, Germany, and Joaquim Murta, MD, Coimbra, Portugal, welcomed attendees to the 8th EuCornea Con- gress, which had almost 700 dele- gates from more than 60 countries. The program featured seven focus sessions, six courses, four paper sessions with 28 free papers, 30 pre- sented posters, and 241 e-posters. During the opening ceremony was the EuCornea Medal Lecture given by François Malecaze, MD, Toulouse, France, on the topic of "Keratoconus: What we have accom- plished and what is still left to do." Dr. Malecaze spoke about the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of keratoconus. In discussing pathophysiology, he highlighted possible causes of keratoconus, including genetics, collagen, inflammation, oxida- tive stress, and reduced keratocyte proliferation. In 2017, keratoconus remains a mysterious disease, efforts are being made to understand ker- atoconus, and new techniques are getting us closer. Dr. Malecaze discussed diag- nosing keratoconus, highlighting some of the ways this has been done through the years. Using a slit lamp exam is an option, however, this only allows for late diagnosis of keratoconus, and the real challenge is to diagnose early. Reflective topography is a way for earlier keratoconus diagnosis, and elevation topography is another step forward to allow for the anterior and posterior surface of the cornea to be analyzed. Dr. Malecaze said this could aid in early diagnosis be- cause keratoconus could start in the posterior part of the cornea. He said to look for an island of elevation of the posterior surface and decentra- tion of the thinnest point. The logic in being able to diag- nose early is to analyze the biome- chanical property of the cornea. But this domain still has many unknowns. Dr. Malecaze also mentioned Reporting from the XXXV Congress of the ESCRS

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