SOE and AAO to hold joint meeting in October

The European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE) and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) are holding a joint meeting 17 to 21 October at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The meeting will be AAO's 118th annual meeting.

More than 25,000 people are expected to attend, with more than 550 exhibitors, 51 symposia, and hundreds of scientific papers and posters. The meeting also will feature more than 340 courses and 57 skills-transfer labs covering clinical knowledge and practice management topics.

Conference highlights include:

• Global perspectives on eye disease and treatment - The "View Across the Pond" Series will provide international perspectives on IOLs, retina, and cornea issues. In a separate session, the World Health Organization will present global eye research findings.
• A closer look at children's eye cancer - Prof. Hans Grossniklaus, MD, MBA, president of the American Association of Ophthalmic Oncologists and Pathologists, will present this year's Jackson Memorial Lecture on 19 Oct.
• Hot topics - Fifty-one symposia will feature LASIK and refractive surgery technology as well as the effects of telemedicine and handheld mobile computing applications on ophthalmology.
• Innovations in ocular drugs and therapy - Covering less-invasive drug delivery methods for age-related macular degeneration and advances in ophthalmic genomics for disease diagnosis and treatment.
• Subspecialty Day meetings - One and two-day sessions (17 and 18 Oct.) will provide education on issues, techniques, and innovations in eight ophthalmic subspecialties: cornea, glaucoma, oculofacial plastic surgery, paediatric ophthalmology, uveitis, retina, refractive surgery and, new this year, ocular oncology and pathology.
• Clinical instruction courses - The 247 clinical courses cover topics including multifocal and accommodative IOLs, corneal endothelial disease, 24-hour IOP monitoring, and more. New among the 57 skills transfer labs: cataract femtosecond laser surgery, and corneal cross-linking.
• The Museum of Vision - The newest exhibit, "Beyond Ophthalmology, Beyond the Clinic," will be unveiled at the meeting and features ophthalmologists, including author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Esperanto creator L.L. Zamenhof, who made contributions to society outside medicine in fields such as literature, sports, politics and the arts.