Eyes On Eyecare’s (EOE’s) second-annual Eyes on Retina virtual event kicked off last month, with over 2,400 ophthalmologists, optometrists, and other eyecare professionals (ECPs) in attendance.
If you missed the event, we’ve got you covered on what went down.
Let’s get a rundown on this event.
The specialty-focused, one-day meeting focused on current retina research with expert-led sessions on a range of topics, including the latest trends, technology, and products.
Attendees got the need-to-know on specialized treatments and emerging therapies for retinal disorders such as (but certainly not limited to):
- Diabetic retinopathy (DR)
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
- Geographic atrophy (GA)
- Retinal tears
To note: 85% of attendees resided in the United States—and the remaining hailed from 74 countries across the globe.
Did I miss clinical experts?
Indeed you did. In fact, a total of 11 experts from ophthalmology and optometry presented and led clinical education sessions. These included:
- Danny A. Mammo, MD
- Diana Shectman, OD, FAAO
- Jayanth Sridhar, MD
- Jay Chhablani, MD
- Julia Canestraro, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO
- Julie Rodman, OD, MSc, FAAO, FORS
- M. Ali Khan, MD, FACS, FASRS
- Mariya Moosajee, MBBS, PhD, FRCOphth
- Nikolas London, MD, FACS
- Rachelle Lin, OD, MS, FAAO
What topics were the sessions focused on?
With 7,800 hours of education watched over the course of the day, the hottest topics included:
- Complex retinal cases
- Pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of myopic maculopathy
- Retinal gene therapy
- Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs)
- GA and AMD
- Ocular metastases and paraneoplastic retinopathies
- Non-infectious uveitis (NIU) and diabetic macular edema (DME)
Any key takeaways I should know about?
Oh, yes … a few notables.
For one: Julia Canestraro, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO, presented on “Ocular Alarm Bells: Identifying and Managing Ocular Metastases and Paraneoplastic Retinaopathies.”
The key takeaway: Dr. Canestraro gave insight into warning signs clinicians should be on the lookout for in patients, saying, “If you’re treating something that looks like uveitis and it’s not getting better with steroids—consider that this could be some sort of malignancy.”
Next up?
Two major diseases: GA and inherited retinal diseases (IRDs)
On the GA front: An ongoing hot topic was the (relatively) new GA medications available in the U.S. market:
- IZERVAY (avacincaptad pegol intravitreal solution; Iveric Bio, Inc.)
- SYFOVRE (pegcetacoplan; Apellis Pharmaceuticals)
- Key data highlighted for both: a 35-40% reduction in growth rate
And in IRDs?
Mariya Mossajee, MBBS, PhD, FRCOphth, presented on real-world experiences and novel genetic therapeutic approaches used in clinical trials for IRDs—including the currently only FDA-approved therapeutic.
That product: Luxturna (voretigene neparvovec-rzyl; Spark Therapeutics), an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-based gene therapy.
- What it is: A single dose intraocular suspension indicated for the treatment of patients with confirmed biallelic RPE65 mutation-associated retinal dystrophy.
- See its full prescribing information.
Go on …
Following this session was Rachelle Lin, OD, MS, FAAO’s presentation on The Genetic Kaleidoscope of IRDs, which covered a wide range of the IRD landscape, including:
- Differentiating between autosomal recessive, autosomal dominant, and X-linked recessive inheritance patterns
- Considering IRDs’ genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity
- Emphasizing the importance of genetic test result interpretation within the context of clinical findings
And which exhibitors did I miss?
Some pretty big names were present in the virtual Exhibit Hall this year:
- Apellis Pharmaceuticals
- Astellas Pharma
- Viatris Inc.
Are there any post-meeting resources available?
There are! Get exclusive access to the 2024 Retina Report and check out the following:
- Ready, Set, Retina, a dynamic series where Daniel Epshtein, OD, FAAO,and leading global retina experts unravel complex patient cases in quick video interviews
- Retina Mentor Moments, a series hosted by John Kitchens, MD focusing on new research and career advice for retina surgeons
- Elizabeth Steele, OD, FAAO’s "Retinal Disease Potpourri" course, an immersive journey where clinicians can discover retinal pathologies and cutting-edge diagnostics
Nice! So what’s next for EOE?
Next up in the virtual educational line-up is Eyes On 2025, which will offer up to 6 free COPE-accredited CE units and be held Nov. 15-16, 2024.
Learn more—and register here.