Congress of the ESCRS reaches milestone age

The European Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ESCRS) plans to welcome delegates to the Milano Convention Centre in Milan, Italy, for the fortieth time this year, and, judging by the preliminary online programme overview, there is a great variety of ophthalmology sessions on offer.

Taking place from 16–20 September 2022, and following the success of last year’s congress, the 40th ESCRS will again be a face-to-face event but supported by a virtual conferencing platform that will allow the sessions to also be streamed.

At the time of going to press, the ESCRS had not released the full, in-depth programme, however, a range of symposia, programmes, video sessions and workshops will be on offer and are discussed in this brief preview article. There will also be a daily exhibition, enabling delegates to learn about the latest technological advancements in ophthalmology and providing networking opportunities.

Friday 16 September

New for 2022 is the ESCRS iNovation Day. The agenda for iNovation Day includes discussions on the most urgent clinical needs and the use of technology to address them, along with perspectives from the European investment, regulatory and research communities. In parallel to this, the World Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology will be holding their Subspecialty Day.

Also new this year are the “Cornea Day” and “Glaucoma Day” streams that are due to take place throughout the day. Cornea Day topics will include cataract surgery in patients with ocular comorbidities; ocular surface and anterior segment surgery; and developments in posterior lamellar keratoplasty, keratoconus and cross-linking, whilst Glaucoma Day will cover profiling glaucoma patients, hints for cataract surgeons who are considering MIGS, surgical complications and surgical controversies.

The Main Symposium to be held at the end of the afternoon will be on the topic of “Emerging Treatment Options for Corneal Endothelial Disease”. There will also be an IME Symposium with the title “Phaco complex cases.”

Three instructional courses to be held at the end of the day will cover the topics of “Different Ways of Secondary IOL Implantation without Capsular Support”; “DALK: From Basic to Advanced”; and “Endophthalmitis after Cataract Surgery”. Finally, the Exhibition Hall will open at 13:00 on Friday and remain open until 18:00.

Saturday 17 September

Saturday sees the Opening Ceremony of the Congress take place at 10:00, which should provide attendees with a feel of what to expect during the yearly event. This is due to be followed at 11:00 by the Main Symposium on “Demystifying IOLS optics”.

Elsewhere, the “Young Ophthalmologists Programme” is running “Starting Phaco” which includes video cases submitted by young ophthalmologists. This programme also offers junior ophthalmologists the chance to network and pick up useful information.

At 16:00 there will be an IME Symposium on Presbyopia IOLs and at 17:00 a Video Symposium on the topic of “Challenging Cases”.

A three-part Refractive Surgery Didactics Course will be ongoing on Saturday. The first session at 08:30 covers diagnostic techniques; the second session at 10:45 is entitled “Therapeutic Techniques: Intraocular Surgery”; and the final session at 14:00 covers “Therapeutic Techniques: Corneal Surgery”.

Throughout the day, Clinical Research Symposia will be held on: “Digital Medicine – 6 Steps for a Better Future”; “Ocular Tissue Engineering”; “Advancement of IOL Optic – How Far Can We Go?” and last-but-not-least, on the very hot topic in ophthalmology at the moment: gene therapy.

A total of 28 instructional courses will be running throughout the day on Saturday. The majority of these are 90 minutes long and start at 08:30, 10:30, 14:00 and 16:00. Shorter one-hour courses begin at 14:30. Free Paper Sessions and Presented Poster sessions will also be taking place and the Exhibition Hall will be open from 09:00 to 18:00.

Sunday 18 September

The Main Symposium, on “High Volume Cataract Surgery”, will take place at 11.00 on the Sunday. The JCRS Symposium will be held at 14:00 and a Video Symposium at 16:15 entitled “Surgical Complications: You Make the Call” is sure to draw curious ophthalmologists.Early evening sees the IIIC Symposium at 18:15 on “The Perfect Save: Challenging Cases Managed by International Experts”.

Workshops on Visual Optics will be being held throughout the day, starting with “Visual Function – Visual Behaviour” at 08:30; “Ocular Biometrics/IOL Optics and Calculation” at 10:50 and finally “Imaging of the Human Eye” at 14:00.

Also at 14.00, a “Case Report” Session aims to delve into “Preoperatory Complications and Difficult Manoeuvres”. Meanwhile, there will be a Young Ophthalmologists Session at 16:30 on “Cataract and Corneal Issues”. A Practice Management Masterclass, on how ophthalmologists can optimise the patient experience, will also take place on the Sunday; the exact timings for this are yet to be confirmed.

A further 27 Instructional Courses will be held, starting at 08:30, 10:30, 14:00, 14:30 and 16:30. These cover a broad range of topics including “Corneal Regeneration Therapy and Surgery”, “Enhanced Monofocals and EDOF IOLs” and several aspects of cataract surgery.

Monday 19 September

Monday morning has two Main Symposia, beginning with the Heritage Lecture at 10:30 and followed at 11:00 by a session entitled “Where Are We in Intracorneal Implantation?” An IME Symposium on the subject of “3D Cataract Microscope Visualisation” will be held at 13:00.

A Video Session on “Getting Into Trouble” should provide delegates with some useful tips on overcoming surgical challenges at 14.00. Throughout the day there will be the opportunity to attend Practice Management workshops and the Free Paper Sessions and Presented Poster Sessions continue to run.

At 16:15 the CSCRS Symposium will be held on the subject of “The Patient Journey in Cataract Surgery.” There will also be an ISRS Symposium at 18:15 to end the day.

Instructional Courses also continue with 33 taking place, again starting at 08:30, 10:30, 14:00 and 16:00. Topics covered include “The Art and Science of Personalizing Refractive Outcomes in Cataract Surgery and Beyond”; “When Cataract Meets Glaucoma”; “All You Need To Know About Contact Lenses as a Refractive Surgeon”; and “Phaco Nightmares and Worst Case Scenarios”.

Tuesday 20 September

The final day of the Congress starts at 08:00 with an Orbis Symposium on “Innovative Ophthalmology in Conflict Zones” and a concurrent Presbyopia Workshop titled “Is there a change in the paradigm of presbyopia correction?” The final Main Symposium of the ESCRS at 10:30 is on the eye-catching subject of “How Not to Be Surprised by Refractive Surprise”.

The Free Paper Sessions continue, as do a series of Wet Labs starting at 08:00 and 10:30.There will be a final twelve Instructional Courses starting at 08:30 and 10:30, including courses on “Tips and Tricks for Challenging Cataract Surgery” and “Ocular Trauma Assessment and Management”.

The Congress finishes with the ever-popular “Best of the Best” session starting at 12:45 which highlights the best parts of the meeting.