ESCRS: A font of learning opportunities

Lisbon, Portugal-The XXIII Annual Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) will take place in Lisbon, the legendary enchanting port and capital of Portugal, from Saturday, Sept. 10 to Wednesday, Sept. 14. All of the programs will be held at the Centro de Congresos, Praça das Indùstrias.

The results of the most recent research will be presented in a number of forums, including poster and paper presentations, symposia, instructional and surgical skills courses, training courses, workshops, and the video competition. In addition, attendees can take advantage of the technical displays in the exhibit hall.

Opening day

The Young Ophthalmologists Programme is also slated for Saturday (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). For those interested in cataract surgery, the topics include preparation of the patient, preoperative complications, special cases, and video presentations of routine and complicated cases. The refractive side of the program will cover patient assessment; topography; LASIK indications, techniques, and complications; choosing among PRK, Epi-LASEK, and LASIK; flap-related complications; phakic IOLs; video presentations of routine and complicated cases; and a guest lecture presented by Robert Stegmann, MD, from South Africa.

A refractive surgery didactic course is also scheduled for Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Experts from around the world will present their insights into obtaining the best results from refractive procedures. Question-and-answer segments will provide time for discussion of key points.

Another Saturday highlight is the Luso-Brazilian Joint Surgical Symposium (2 to 5 p.m.), which is sponsored by Cirurgia Implanto-Refractive de Portugal, Sociedade Brasileira de Catarata e Implantes Intra-oculares, and Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Refrativa.

Congress highlights

Sunday is the official opening day of ESCRS, with the opening and awards ceremony scheduled for 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Earlier in the day, beginning at 8 a.m. and extending to 6 p.m., the Workshop in Visual Optics will be held. This four-part program is scheduled to cover the basics of visual optics, imaging of the human eye, wavefront in cataract and refractive surgery, and IOL optics.

Another important event, the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery symposium on corneal biomechanics, will be presented 2 to 4 p.m.

Monday will feature the Ridley Medal Lecture from 10:30 to 11 a.m. This year's address, "Exploding myths in refractive surgery," is being delivered by Patrick I. Condon, FRCS, from Ireland.

The Legal Roundtable will take place from 1 to 2 p.m. on Monday. This year's topic is "Satisfied patients don't sue." An international panel of experts will discuss methods ophthalmologists can use to avoid malpractice lawsuits.

Monday will also feature the European Cataract Outcomes Study Meeting from 4:30 to 6 p.m.