Four days as an official digital media partner of the 42nd Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS 2024) has been a wild ride. Here’s what went down on our final day of coverage.
The end of one of the world’s major ophthalmic conferences can only mean one thing in Media MICE land: caffeine, and lots of it (or in the case of Matt Young, sugar-free Red Bulls en masse).
It’s been a four-day extravaganza of video shoots, conference coverage and camaraderie with our friends from around the ophthalmic world. Late nights and laughs have come in equal proportion—and as we come to the final leg of our journey, the mixture of exhaustion and elation always provides the perfect concoction for reflection.
As trade journalists, global meetings of ophthalmic minds like ESCRS often reveal vital details on the state of industry and science in the field—something that can prove difficult in a medical subspecialty with seemingly daily innovation.
But there’s more than just the medicine on display. Cue the cheese, but these conferences also give an unprecedented look at the overall nature of the body of eye care professionals—the friendships, the collaborations, and yes, even the rivalries and competition, that underpin progress in eye care. Here at the end, we give our attention to both of these in our final round-up from Barcelona.
President Ribeiro’s diversity and inclusion initiatives stand tall
Every president puts a stamp on their conference year, and Prof. Filomena Ribeiro (Portugal) decided on a theme near and dear to her for ESCRS 2024: diversity, inclusion and opportunity for all in ophthalmology.
This year’s BOSS symposia were the torch bearers for this mission critical, and we were tuned in. We covered one of these important sessions on Day 1, with the topic being one that can be uncomfortable for many: uncovering unconscious biases and how they unwittingly affect clinical and professional behavior.
Though it wasn’t a BOSS symposium, one of today’s highlight sessions could very well have been—an Orbis session on equalizing cataract education access in low- to middle-income countries. Definitely give that a read and find out how organizations like Orbis are planting sight-restoring seeds in the world’s regions that need them most.
And speaking of President Ribeiro, we also had the honor and privilege to welcome her to our booth today for a chat and a video shoot. After a ceremonial funky jacket presentation, Media MICE CEO Matt Young sat down with her with the cameras rolling for a candid discussion of her presidency and to expand on what it takes to bring her inclusive vision of opportunity for all to life. That video will be released in the coming weeks, so stay tuned to our socials for when it drops.
What’s driving global ophthalmology
In our prior coverage, we’ve gone over the topics we feel have dominated the conference. Advancements in corneal cross-linking, presbyopia-correcting IOLs, artificial intelligence, radical new IOL designs, and the digital operating room have been hot, but there are also a few less-conspicuous topics pushing ophthalmology to new frontiers.
Telemedicine is one that might be a victim of its sheer longevity in medicine—but that doesn’t make it any less relevant. With advances in telecommunications, robotics and more, getting professional care remotely—and even surgery—has rather sneakily become the norm. A Day 4 mid-day symposium on where we are and what’s next in telemedicine was another of our highlight sessions—and what’s happening under the hood in that space.
Phaco is another technology that has stood an even longer test of time than telemedicine. And like telemedicine, its continued relevance is not to be diminished. Nor is it, as our coverage of Day 4’s Heritage Lecture should show. Click here to see the incomparable Dr. Richard Packard go over how this technology began—and how it’s still evolving to restore sight in 2024.
Of course, we also couldn’t resist covering another session on an anterior segment topic picking up some serious steam—corneal crosslinking. This mini-symposium featuring Prof. Farhad Hafezi, among other thought leaders on the procedure, was co-hosted with the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), and carried the spirit of global cooperation that defined the conference.
And speaking of AAO—their own meeting is coming up in just over a month, and we’ll be there as the official marketing video contractor as well as bringing you our usual daily live coverage. So although it’s goodbye Barcelona now, join us as we say hello to Chicago in mid October. Thanks to everyone for reading, and it’s now official—Media MICE, signing off for ESCRS 2024.
Editor’s Note: Reporting for this story took place at the 42nd Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ESCRS 2024), held from 6-10 September in Barcelona, Spain.
