It’s Day 3 of the 24th Congress of the European Society of Retina Specialists (EURETINA 2024), and things seem to be winding down. The recent bouts of morning and evening rain in Barcelona feel cold and melancholic, especially for this sunshine-and-heat-loving Asian far from home.
But there’s something to celebrate… September 21 marks World Retina Day, and at EURETINA 2024, the occasion is a true celebration of all things retina. From the Asia-Pacific Vitreo-retina Society (APVRS) symposium on the society’s consensus statements regarding polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) to the Ukrainian Society’s session on ocular trauma, the day offered an extensive line-up. With updates on diabetic eye disease and diabetic retinopathy, it has something to captivate every retina specialist who might otherwise be trudging dampened by the rain around the conference venue.
In particular, the APVRS consensus on PCV treatment, diagnosis and imaging was truly interesting and you can find our highlight article on that here, in case you missed it.
Day 3 at EURETINA is also Awards Lecture Day, and this year’s Kreissig Award Lecture was delivered by Prof. Taiji Sakamoto from Japan, a leading expert in diabetic retinopathy, retinal surgery and ocular angiogenesis. In his lecture, titled My Journey to Retinal Detachment: Mechanism, Treatment, Results and Social Impact, Dr. Sakamoto shared two key insights regarding the use of silicone oil tamponade in retinal detachment surgery. He emphasized that while silicone oil is sometimes necessary, it is linked to a number of adverse events. Don’t miss our highlight article on this important session.
This year’s Gisbert Richard Lecture was awarded to Dr. David Yorston from the United Kingdom. In his lecture, Ten Years On: What Have We Learned From the EURETINA/BEAVRS Database So Far, Dr. Yorston explored the evolution and impact of the EURETINA database over the past decade. He discussed how he established working groups to create standardized datasets for retinal detachment and macular hole surgeries. Today, the database contains data on 15,600 retinal detachment cases and 5,300 macular hole surgeries. For further details, check out our highlight article on this award lecture.
Later in the day, the Ophthalmologica Lecture was awarded to Dr. Yousif Subhi from Denmark. His presentation, Things That Matter: An Evidence-Based Approach to AMD and CSC, highlighted his work on age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). Dr. Subhi’s dedication to evidence-based retinology has established him as a dynamic group leader and clinician-scientist with a strong commitment to both research and teaching.
On the industry front, there are some exciting developments.
Bayer (Leverkusen, Germany) introduced its new aflibercept 8 mg prefilled syringe, OcuClick, at EURETINA 2024—be sure to check out our first impressions article for more details!
Meanwhile, the Espansione Group (Argelato, Italy) – provider of photobiomodulation (PBM) medtech solutions for ophthalmology, has announced the six-month safety, tolerability and short-term efficacy results from their study. The study is part of the greater LightWave I clinical trial, which explored the impact of Light Modulation® low-level light therapy (LM® LLLT) on patients with dry age-related macular degeneration (dAMD). The results demonstrate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of Espansione’s LM LLLT on the Eye-light® PBM device.
Lastly, Apellis Pharmaceuticals’ geographic atrophy treatment, Syfovre® (pegcetacoplan injection), has been rejected once again by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The agency cited concerns over the lack of ‘clinically meaningful benefits’ and raised safety issues regarding the intravitreal injections required for the drug’s administration.
That wraps up today’s coverage. We look forward to seeing and hearing from you around the conference venue before the day ends. For a recap of everything since Day 1, visit PIE Magazine’s page on daily live coverage of EURETINA 2024.
Editor’s Note: Reporting for this story took place at the 24th Congress of the European Society of Retina Specialists (EURETINA 2024), held from 19-22 September in Barcelona, Spain.
