Excellence across the board at the 2024 EURETINA congress

The European Society of Retina Specialists (EURETINA) held its 24th annual congress in Barcelona, Spain, earlier this year. From 19 to 22 September, retina researchers and practicing clinicians flooded the Barcelona International Convention Center. Though attendees were steps away from the beach and had rich cultural sites sprawling in every direction, they stayed close to the convention hall, where fascinating scientific and social programmes captured the community’s attention for the full span of the meeting.

This year's EURETINA congress in Barcelona, Spain, drew established members and young ophthalmologists from around the world. Image courtesy of EURETINA.

Keynote speakers share their insights

At this year’s EURETINA congress, Ophthalmology Times Europe had the opportunity to speak with all four keynote speakers. Their lectures added an element of global perspective to the programme and emphasised the ways in which retina specialists worldwide contribute to a greater good.

David Yorston, FRCS, FRCOphth, delivered the Gisbert Richard Lecture. His talk focused on a collaborative project from EURETINA and the British and Eire Association of Vitreoretinal Surgeons (BEAVRS), titled “Ten Years on: What Have We Learned From the Euretina/BEAVRS Database So Far.” The joint database includes data from over 15,000 retinal detachments and over 5,000 macular holes, and more than 10 original research papers have been produced based on the database.

“We’ve learned things about the phenotype of macular holes in retinal detachment; for example, that macular holes are larger in women than they are in men and hence more likely to fail,” Yorston said. “We’ve learned that in macular holes, the conventional definition of a large hole was 400 µm, but we’ve shown that the prognosis only changes when the hole is over 500 µm. So we’ve changed the definition of a large hole.” In retinal detachment, the database has supported another change to conventional wisdom, revealing that early surgery (within 72 hours of detachment) has a significant benefit on visual outcomes.

The clinical findings are vital, but not what Yorston hopes audiences remember most about his lecture. “I hope that the thing that they really remember is the most important lesson, which is the one at the end, which is that in a world that’s increasingly divided and polarised, the EURETINA database reminds us of how much we can achieve when we work collaboratively.”

Taiji Sakamoto, MD, PhD, shared a similar message in his Kreissig Award Lecture, “My Journey to Retinal Detachment: Mechanism, Treatment, Results, and Social Impact.” Speaking about his career, Sakamoto admitted that, early on, he didn’t consider sociological or environmental factors to be a vital part of his work in eye care. “Over time, I came to understand, if you want to save every [patient with] retinal detachment, you have to affect society,” he said. Gender discrimination, for example, prevents many female patients in Japan from accessing effective, equitable care. The best way to challenge discriminatory treatment is through professional societies, like EURETINA, that enable clinicians worldwide to identify and tackle problems. “EURETINA has a long-range perspective, a strategic perspective,” Sakamoto said. “They think patient first, but at the same time, they are very realistic.”

Kyoko Ohno-Matsui, MD, PhD, delivered the Euretina Lecture for 2024, titled “Pathologic Myopia: New Horizons Through Cutting-Edge Imaging Technologies.” Speaking about the outlook shared by her colleagues, she used her lecture topic as an example of the expanded opportunities for care made possible by breaking boundaries and collaborating across borders and across specialties. “It’s a really globally diverse congress, and the programme is well thought out. I see many myopia sessions as well,” she said. “Before, myopia was thought to be specific to Asian countries, but now it’s becoming more prevalent in many areas.”

In her lecture, Ohno-Matsui explored ways myopia can impact the entire eye. “Pathological myopia is a deformity of the eye shape. So with 3D MRI, we can see the entire shape of the eye from any angle and how it is deformed in each patient. This information is important, because we may be able to treat the shape of the eye before vision-threatening complications,” she explained. The EURETINA audience was especially interested to see Ohno-Matsui’s examples of effective imaging techniques. Because the retina choroid sclera is thin, it allows for deep-tissue imaging and a clear view of the eye. Along with 3D MRI, she also discussed applications of ultrawidefield optical coherence tomography (OCT) and a novel technology called polarisation-sensitive OCT (PS-OCT), which visualises the scleral collagen fibres.

The final keynote address was the Ophthalmologica Lecture, delivered by Yousif Subhi, MD, PhD. His talk, which focused on a patient-first approach to retina care, was titled “Things That Matter: An Evidence-Based Approach to AMD and CSC.” His research was born from a personal experience: when Subhi’s mother developed cancer, she had many questions about her prognosis and care, but received few adequate answers. This, Subhi said, is what inspired his research and, eventually, his lecture topic.

“I did a lot of research in ageing and age-related immunological changes, and how that affects risk of age-related macular degeneration [AMD],” he explained. “I focus on questions, simple clinical questions, that matter most to the patients…in the field of AMD and CSC [central serous chorioretinopathy]. My key takeaway is to focus on these patient experiences, and advise patients the best possible way.”

Updates from the Eye Care Network’s board members

Several members of the Eye Care Network’s Editorial Advisory Boards (EABs) were present at this year’s EURETINA meeting: Alexandra Miere, MD, PhD, and Tunde Peto, MD, PhD, FRCOphth, both members of the Ophthalmology Times Europe EAB; Jean-François Korobelnik, MD, PhD; Anat Loewenstein, MD; and Aleksandra Rachitskaya, MD, all members of the Modern Retina® EAB: and David Chow, MD, a member of the Ophthalmology Times® EAB. During the meeting, two board members got a chance to visit the Ophthalmology Times Europe booth and shared their perspectives on the congress.

Miere, one of the newest board members to join the advisory team this year, said she was pleased to see two of her primary research interests represented in this year’s scientific programme. “Oculomics is a field that is getting more and more traction,” she said. “There is more and more emphasis on what the eye can tell us of systemic disease. And this small study [my team presented] is part of this new trend in oculomics.”

Miere also attended several sessions on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in identifying, diagnosing and monitoring retinal disease. Miere said the AI presentations were particularly fascinating for their wide range of specific topics. “Inherited retinal diseases are very rare diseases that are quite difficult to diagnose,” she said. “Using AI, particularly deep learning algorithms, we are able, using fundus autofluorescence, for example, or OCT, to detect the more frequent retinal diseases.” By using deep learning, Miere noted, clinicians can develop a precise understanding of a broad range of diseases. “[AI] will probably change the paradigm, get the patients to have a referral more rapidly, and when we...have available treatment, we will also allow more rapid access to those new treatments,” she said.

Rachitskaya presented on several clinical topics, including home OCT, but the World Retina Day programming stood out to her. As part of a special initiative, EURETINA partnered with global societies to celebrate World Retina Day on Saturday, 21 September. Rachitskaya is a trustee of the Vit-Buckle Society, which held a symposium focused on challenging surgical videos.

“It’s the first time we had Vit-Buckle at EURETINA,” she explained. “I thought for a first-time surgical symposium, I would have 20 people in the room…I think it was 500 plus. I don’t know the exact count, but it’s fantastic. I want to thank all the panellists; they presented amazing surgical cases and had a wonderful discussion.”

Leaders share their take-home messages

Members of the EURETINA leadership shared valuable, behind-the-scenes insights. Martin S. Zinkernagel, MD, PhD, general secretary of EURETINA, encouraged attendees to put their conference experience to work in the clinical setting. “What we all want to do is use the data or the things we learned at EURETINA in our clinical practices. And I think when you go back to the office on Monday or Tuesday, and you see cases you’re not sure how to handle, you can think back to these main sessions or these instruction courses,” he said. “We covered so many things. There will have been something you’ve heard that you can apply to this patient.”

Nicole Eter, MD, incoming president of EURETINA, reiterated that sentiment. She urged ophthalmologists, and young retina specialists in particular, to take advantage of the organisation’s programming all year long.

“Of course, if you say, ‘EURETINA,’ then everyone thinks of the convention,” Eter said. “But that’s only 4 days, and EURETINA is much more. It is a society, and it’s growing everywhere.” On the EURETINA website (euretina.org), visitors can find podcasts, webinars, case studies and other educational resources, as well as information about online and in-person events. Early-career ophthalmologists can also take advantage of the Young Retina Specialists (YOURS) programme, which provides opportunities for education, mentorship and networking. Eter encouraged any young retina specialists, or those planning to enter the field, to reach out to EURETINA at any time to get involved. “Just drop us an email, and we can connect you with YOURS,” she said.

She also praised the candidates who sat for the FEBOS-R specialty exam this year. The 2024 congress was the second year that EURETINA attendees could register to take the FEBOS-R Specialty Exam in retina. “We have 53 candidates who passed and are now specialists,” Eter said. “Next year, we will have the third one.” Applications will open online 18 November to those who have either taken and passed the general EBO or have obtained a board certificate from a specific country and have worked 2 years in a retina specialty.

Bahram Bodaghi, MD, PhD, FEBO, a co-opted EURETINA board member, expressed gratitude to Eter for her hard work in leading the group that made the subspecialty exam possible. “All those who are attending are working very hard. This is not an easy exam,” he said, noting that candidates who participated came from all over the world. “EURETINA is in Europe, but not only focused on Europe.”

Before the 2024 congress ended, Bodaghi, who is a professor at the Sorbonne University in France, said the retina community should start planning their visit to his home country for a major milestone next year. “We all count on the members to come to Paris next year, because it will be the 25th anniversary of EURETINA,” he implored EURETINA members and conference attendees.