Barcelona is a city that wears its history proudly, from the towering spires of La Sagrada Familia to the labyrinthine streets of the Gothic Quarter, where every corner holds a new discovery. Much like the city itself, Day 2 of ESCRS 2024 felt like an intricate maze—full of twists, turns and gems at every step.
As your correspondent made her way through the sprawling Fira Barcelona Gran Via convention center, it felt like navigating a modern-day Gothic Quarter. From the hum of excitement in the Exhibition Halls, where ophthalmic merchants plied their wares, to the quiet solemnity of the Plenary Hall, there was a palpable sense of discovery in every corner.
Opening Ceremony highlights
Timed perfectly for late-risers still savoring their morning coffee, the ESCRS 2024 Opening Ceremony welcomed a packed audience, buzzing with the energy of a record-breaking Day 1. As Prof. Filomena Ribeiro, the society’s president, took the stage, her smile reflected the excitement of the moment. She proudly announced that the congress had drawn over 16,000 attendees—an all-time high for ESCRS.
With enthusiasm, Prof. Ribeiro revealed the future destinations for ESCRS: the Winter Meeting in the timeless city of Athens, Greece, and the 2025 main congress in the charming Danish capital, Copenhagen. Yet, the focus wasn’t just on numbers or future plans.
This year’s congress marked a significant first, as Prof. Ribeiro introduced the Building Our Sustainable, Inclusive Society (BOSS) project—an initiative aimed at tackling both conscious and unconscious bias in the field of ophthalmology.
Following the ceremony, the spotlight shifted to Dr. Abhay Vasavada, the founder and director of Raghudeep Eye Hospital in India, and the esteemed recipient of this year’s Ridley Medal. His lecture took a deep dive into the late decentration enigma of IOLs, offering two innovative surgical techniques to address this perplexing issue.
The latest in IOL tech
The intraocular lenses of today are far removed from the early innovations of Sir Harold Ridley. With every passing year, breakthroughs in materials and design edge closer to the perfect vision patients dream of.
Leading the charge in 2024 are monofocal plus lenses and their crisp image quality, accommodating IOLs and the promise of fluid-filled lenses, and mixing and matching IOLs in each eye to enhance range of vision. Curious about these advancements? Our full session coverage dives deep into the innovations set to shape the future of IOLs.
Deep learning and clinical research
Day 2 of ESCRS 2024 was also abuzz with clinical research, particularly the integration of deep learning into anterior segment care. Presentations explored everything from using eye imaging to detect health biomarkers to the power of federated data systems. The spotlight shined on artificial neural networks (ANNs) capable of detecting early signs of keratoconus, and vision-language models poised to streamline keratitis diagnosis.
Shining a light on bias
Do ophthalmologists—experts in vision—have their own “blind spots” when it comes to bias? That was the provocative question at the heart of Day 2’s BOSS Symposium. Experts unraveled the hidden biases in everything from surgical training and research to patient care and even AI.
The session offered actionable steps to dismantle these barriers, prompting attendees to reflect on their own unconscious biases—and if you want to uncover your own blind spots, read our coverage of the session to find out what you can do to dismantle your own barriers.
As Day 2 unfolded, it became clear that ESCRS 2024 wasn’t just about expanding knowledge—it was about encouraging reflection.
Between in-depth lectures, wetlabs and poster presentations, this correspondent found moments of pause, watching surgical videos projected along moving walkways, or relaxing in serene outdoor spaces. Perhaps these quiet moments were a deliberate effort by ESCRS to remind attendees to look up, take in their surroundings, and appreciate the intricate maze of knowledge they’re navigating.
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.
