Welcome
Dear participants of the Retina Summit Karlsruhe, dear colleagues and friends!
It is a great pleasure and an honour for us to welcoming you to the Retina Summit in Karlsruhe! In 2009 the world of Retinology is undergoing great transformation.
Therefore, in this symposium we intend to illustrate the highlights of these changes by providing you with instruction and insights from experts in the field.
They will be presenting innovations and emerging techniques, sharing their knowledge with the audience and creating a forum for active discussion and interaction among real-world professionals.
We also aim to distinguish the clinical value of the vast spectrum of recommendations and concepts currently available today.
Sutureless MIVS has attracted growing attention over the last few years. In the meantime this technology has been adopted by over 75 per cent of retinal surgeons. However, despite the clear benefits it has brought, debate continues concerning the possible increased risk of endophthalmitis. This dispute will be addressed in the course of the symposium.
Age related AMD is currently the main cause of blindness in the civilized world. The demand for anti-VEGF injection therapy has rocketed, leading to necessary organizational changes with serious socio-economic and administrative difficulties.
A possible light at the end of the tunnel may be suprachoroidal drug delivery via
catheter which we will be illustrating at the opening session.
The latest anti-VEGF therapy research will also be the focus of discussion.
PVR still haunts (infesta come spirito maligno) the dreams of surgeons in the night (che sanno cosa stanno facendo). Therefore some recent innovations that will be presented might calm their nights!
Realizing the pipe dream of artificial vision is the challenge that surgeons have
long aspired for.
Hope for making this dream come true is growing as microchips get smaller and
more user-friendly: we will recount the magic of science!
Along with many other fascinating topics of interest, we will also be showing you our greatest achievement: the much awaited fusion between pharmacology and surgery, between medical and surgical retina, no longer in combat but harmoniously cooperating for global eyecare.
In this context, diabetic retinal disease will always remain an important issue as the numbers of patients are growing continuously. Pharmacotherapy might have a broad application in this area. However, the chronic progression and the economic burden appear intimidating. A balance between the affordable and the possible needs to be found and will include a compromise of old and new techniques in the near future.
We have seen the introduction of some excellent and exciting imaging devices in the last years and there is no doubt that we will see more in the near future. Retinal imaging has become more sophisticated with the novel techniques which offer high-resolution, three-dimensional and volumetric imaging. At this time those refined techniques will not replace the conventional diagnostic tools but enhance our knowledge on pathogenesis and treatment effects.
Wishing you an enjoyable and inspirational two days, we thank you for your participation.
Albert J. AugustinStanislao Rizzo