International Keratoconus Academy Symposium: What to expect

Video transcript

Editor's note - This transcript has been edited for clarity:

Emily Kaiser:

Hi, everyone. I'm Emily Kaiser with Optometry Times. And I'm sitting down with Dr. Barry Eiden, who's the CEO and cofounder of the International Keratoconus Academy, or IKA, and is the cochair of the inaugural IKA meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, in April of 2023. Welcome, Dr. Eiden! Thank you for taking the time to talk to us.

Barry Eiden:

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Emily Kaiser:

So what can clinicians expect from this inaugural meeting?

Barry Eiden:

Well, I think it's going to be amazingly exciting. It's, it's kind of one of its kind, dedicated purely to the topic of keratoconus. And I think that it will really have value for eye care practitioners of all levels: Those who are just getting into the topic of keratoconus and to those who have had years and years of experience. So, I think it's going to be highly valuable for a wide variety of individuals.

Emily Kaiser:

Yeah, absolutely. And what sets the IKA meeting apart from other conferences?

Barry Eiden:

Well, I think there's a couple of factors. Number one, is focus: the fact that it is purely a keratoconus meeting. It's not trying to cover all aspects of the cornea or other areas of eye care. It's really laser focused, so to speak, on the cornea.

The second thing is the faculty that we're going to have at this particular meeting. These are going to be basically the who's who of keratoconus worldwide, both from optometry, ophthalmology and other allied health professional areas.

Third one; thirdly, it's going to give the opportunity for individuals to have a lot of interactive time together and share their thoughts and experiences. So I think it's going to be an amazing time for those who attend.

Emily Kaiser:

I agree; it sounds so incredible. And what are you most excited to share with attendees?

Barry Eiden:

What makes me very excited and the things that I really hope that our attendees get out of the meeting, whether they're attending live, which we hope they will, or virtually, since we'll have both options available, and that is the ability to get the most current information on the state-of-the-art in both diagnosis and treatment of this disease, which we now know, is so much more common than we ever thought before.

Emily Kaiser:

Is there anything else that you'd like to mention that we haven't touched on?

Barry Eiden:

Well, I would say there are a number of aspects in my judgment that make a meeting really worthwhile to go to. Number one would be the content. And I think we're going to have absolutely first-rate content. The second is value. You know, today, you can get your continuing education in so many different forms. So going to a live meeting, involving travel and such, you want to be in a good place. And Scottsdale in April is a pretty darn good place. I think we've chosen a fabulous location and facility for this particular meeting. And then finally, again, what excites me the most are the people who are going to be there, those who are going to present and I believe also those who are going to attend. I think it's going to be just a fantastic experience.

Emily Kaiser:

All right. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me, and I can't wait to see you in Scottsdale!

Barry Eiden:

Thanks so much.