Berlin unites ophthalmologists from the East and West

ESCRS is the largest ophthalmology congress in Europe. Each year, ESCRS organizes its meeting with the national society located near the host city. In Berlin, it is partnering with the Deutschsprachige Gesellschaft für Intraokularlinsen Implantation.

Berlin, a city once best known for the wall dividing its east from its west, today is unified into the largest city in Germany and is the second most populous city in the European Union. After the reunification of Germany in 1990, the city regained its status as capital of the entire nation and now is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Europe.

Main symposia

The main symposia will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.

On Sunday, the topic will be "Should You Introduce Multifocal IOLs into your Practice?" Speakers will address issues such as selecting patients, managing expectations, and handling an unhappy patient.

On Monday, the topic will turn to "Current Trends in Laser Refractive Surgery." Planned presentations include wavefront-guided ablations, flap thickness, multifocal ablations, early diagnosis of ectasia, and intrastromal presbyopia correction.

On Tuesday, the theme will be "Femtosecond Laser and Therapeutic Corneal Surgery." Speakers will examine indications and applications for using the femtosecond laser; femtosecond laser-enabled keratoplasty; using the laser to make corneal flaps, pockets, and tunnels; and the advantages and limitations of the various femtosecond lasers.

On Wednesday, "Smaller Incision Cataract Surgery" will take the stage. Presentations will include fluidic requirements of small incision surgery, biaxial surgery, microcoaxial surgery, IOLS for small incision surgery, and new phaco tips for small incision surgery.

Clinical research symposia

The clinical research symposia will be held Saturday. Planned highlights of this event include presentations on new surgical approaches to keratoconus, the safety of phakic IOLs, new insights on the corneal surface, ocular alignment, and IOL calculations after corneal/refractive surgery.

Workshop on visual optics

The workshop on visual optics will be held on Sunday. In Part I, presentations will include light propagation in the eye, aberrations of the optical system, optics of the crystalline lens, IOL designs, and retinal image quality. Part II will focus on visual behavior (psychophysics). Topics will include contrast sensitivity and glare, modeling the optics of the human eye, and accommodative responses. Part III, after lunch, will focus on various aspects of imaging the eye.

Surgical skills training courses

Surgical skills training courses are hands-on wet lab courses using high-communication technology as well as the SFVT eye model with red reflex and changeable IOPs. These classes offer participants the opportunity to practice surgical techniques on porcine eyes. Two-way audio and video are used as teaching tools in these small classes.