Record attendance at ESCRS Congress

[caption id="attachment_10169" align="alignleft" width="1024"] ESCRS President Prof David Spalton speaking at the Congress Opening Ceremony[/caption] More than 9,800 delegates from 120 countries attended the XXXV Congress of the ESCRS in Lisbon, Portugal. ESCRS president Professor David Spalton said the record attendance was a testimony to the Society’s mission of bringing the very best in high-quality clinical research and education to its members. Prof Spalton said that this year’s Congress had offered a first-rate scientific programme and a wide range of symposia, courses and wetlabs covering most major fields of ophthalmology. “With 16 symposia, 492 free papers, 1,257 posters, 125 courses and 64 wetlabs – together with a massive exhibition – I think we will all be able to return home with something that is hopefully going to change our practice, make us better surgeons and improve the care of our patients,” he said. He said that teaching and training would continue to feature at the heart of ESCRS action in serving the needs of its members and the wider ophthalmological community. The ESCRS already offers many educational opportunities to its members in the form of annual meetings, the “On Demand” presentation library, Video of the Month, “Eye Contact” interviews, a surgical technique library and the iLearn e-learning platform. Prof Spalton also cited special measures for trainee ophthalmologists such as free membership of the Society, bursaries to attend the annual congress, the Young Ophthalmologists Programme and an ongoing Observership Programme. The Peter Barry Fellowships, awarded for the first time this year, would further strengthen the Society’s commitment to young ophthalmologists. Among the highlights of this year’s Congress was the Binkhorst Medal Lecture on the topic of “Cataract Surgery in High-Risk Eyes: Lessons Learned”, delivered by Boris Malyugin. The Congress also marked the release of the results of the ESCRS PREMED Study. The study found that a combination of a topical corticosteroid and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) is more effective than either agent alone in reducing the risk of developing cystoid macular edema (CME) after cataract surgery in non-diabetic patients.

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