by Mohammed Aslam, FY 3 Doctor, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, UK.
Hosted by Thea Pharmaceuticals, this regional meeting was held at the Delta Hotel and chaired by Oculoplastic Consultant Tristan McMullan. We enjoyed a day full of interactive talks and case study presentations on corneal, glaucoma, preservative free and oculoplastic topics.
Panthagani kicked off the day with a captivating and engaging lecture on the use of mini-DSAEK as a cutting-edge management strategy for corneal perforations. Taking us through real life cases, Panthagani was able to showcase footage of the procedure and emphasise the importance of timely and personalised treatment. The lecture left the audience inspired and better informed about this innovative approach.
The coffee break was then followed by an excellent talk by Glaucoma Consultant at the Western Eye Hospital, Laura Crawley, on preservative drops for glaucoma and ocular surface disease (OSD). Interestingly, the prevalence of glaucoma amongst OSD patients is as high as 65%. The European Glaucoma Society state that preserved eye drops should be avoided in patients requiring long term therapy and / or with OSD. Chronic use of the preservative benzalkonium chloride (BAK) can impair corneal and conjunctival healing. It was highlighted that preservative free drops may be more cost-effective compared to preservative drops when considering better compliance to treatment by patients.
The highlight of the day provided an engaging presentation by Sundeep Deol, Glaucoma Consultant at Kettering General Hospital. This insightful session explored the range of minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS). This insightful talk emphasised that, in some cases, treating glaucoma with topical drops may lead to the challenge of chasing ocular pressure targets which may prove difficult to achieve. This can lead to a downward spiral of adding in multiple drops of which the effectiveness may not be so substantial. In these cases, utilising MIGS sooner rather than later can provide safer pressures earlier. Excitingly, there was the introduction of a newer non-invasive treatment for primary open angle glaucoma known as femtosecond laser image-guided high-precision trabeculotomy (FLIGHT).
After lunch we had the pleasure of listening to case presentations delivered by ophthalmology registrars. Congratulations to Nimrath Kainth for winning the best oral presentation for his case involving Juvenile Myasthenia Gravis, emphasising the need to keep an open mind when reviewing children with ocular signs.
Oculoplastic Consultant, Faye Mellington, delivered a fascinating run-through of orbital decompression surgery. Slides demonstrating Mellington’s theatre set up and equipment, as well as real case videos granted an immersive learning environment.
The last talk of the day was delivered by the chair himself, Tristan McMullan who shared some advances in ptosis surgery. The frontalis flap technique was highlighted as an effective option for ptosis in patients with poor levator function.
