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We’ve Gone Bananas: Russian Irises, Myopia on Motorbikes and Retinal Oopsies

Everybody that felt a little bit bananas at the first ever CAKE & PIE Expo, please say “Aye”. “Aye”. Is it just me? I don’t think so. Well, that’s just the way we like it. And we have to say we’re pretty happy with how the first-ever CAKE & PIE Expo turned out. We got to bring together some of our favorite ophthalmologists from around the world, and also make some new friends from emerging societies and new markets.

From starting the day with cool cataracts, to ending the day with a marvelous masterclass in managing myopia, Day 2 of the Expo had it all. We set up a video vault to keep you completely engrossed with reams of content about all aspects of ophthalmology, perfect for those locked down or looking for some light viewing before bed. The exhibition hall was bursting with virtual booths, and we hope you dropped by to say hello to the Media MICE team. (We locked a couple team members in there and frankly, we forgot the login information to get them back out, so they’re probably getting lonely and hungry at this point.)

As you’ve probably noticed by now though, Media MICE likes to get noticed and our outlandish costumes and quirky character is definitely a marketing strategy and a pretty cool one at that. Marketing yourself and your company in ophthalmology is crucial to getting ahead, which was what our very own CEO Matt Young talked about when he hosted the Expo’s Marketing Session: Get Noticed Now, covering all aspects of marketing that people working in our field should know about. The featured guests include Nikki Hafezi, managing director and board member of EMAGine AG (Zug, Switzerland); head of Strategy, Business Development and Licensing at The ELZA Institute (Zurich, Switzerland); and co-founder and managing partner of the Light for Sight Foundation (Zurich, Switzerland), as well as optometrist, social media influencer and brand ambassador Dr. Kristie Nguyen. For now you can watch the recording of this lively session at Media MICE’s YouTube Channel

From Russia with insight into the iris

Now the Media MICE team has a lot of hidden talents, even if they cannot successfully extricate themselves from a virtual booth. Your current writer sadly doesn’t have any superhuman abilities (besides his ability to tell any single malt whiskey apart by smell alone), but he can speak Russian. Therefore he was very excited to attend the Russian Ophthalmology Society (ROS) Presents Reconstructive Surgery and More! while perusing through the day’s events. Russia’s ophthalmology expertise is extraordinary, and it was awesome to welcome the ROS to attend our Expo, so we hope you were able to drop by their booth in the exhibition hall!

A particular highlight of this symposium was the first presentation by Dr. Marina Shanturova of the S. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institute (Irkutsk, Russia). She focused on the perils of damage to the iris, including diaphragmatic dysfunction, double vision and reduced visual acuity, and provided some fascinating insight into the history of Russian contributions to iridoplasty development. She recommended localizing iris defects, identifying the presence of synechiae, and monitoring changes in the actual structure of the iris.

One of the last events of the day was ORBIS Singapore Session: The Myopia Epidemic in Asia Pacific, and you’ll know from our recent content just how much of an issue short-sightedness is in the region. It’s an emerging epidemic of staggering proportions, and it was awesome to see some of the brightest minds in myopia management coming together to share their experiences and ideas about what can be done to tackle this disease. It was also pretty cool to see our CEO Matt Young change in a phone booth from his banana suit in the marketing session to his “candyland ” suit in an Orbis-supported session. As for which is the superocular costume – well, we’re still scratching our heads at that – and that a phone booth even exists in 2021.

Prevention really is the best cure

We’ve Gone Bananas: Russian Irises, Myopia on Motorbikes and Retinal Oopsies
We’re not sure this is the most effective way to control myopia…

Dr. Nathan Cogdon, a professor at the Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, spoke about how glasses are a first line of defence against myopia, and that providing free glasses can help to slow visual decline if administered early. He described how India has a national policy of free vision screening in children, which highlights the country’s correct strategy of focusing on prevention. He also pointed to a study called STABLE in which young myopia motorbike drivers are provided with free glasses to reduce road injuries and deaths in Vietnam, and if successful, will lead to tougher vision requirements for licensure.

A special shoutout to our friends at the Vitreo Retina Society of India (VRSI) who held their own in a session titled, When Retinal Disasters Happen, and More, which covered some fascinating aspects of retinal treatment. We already wrote a specific review about this event (which you can find on page 8), so make sure you give it a read and watch the session. 

The same goes for all the participants of both sessions entitled Get Smart: On Education & Attitudes in Ophthalmology, which offered some fascinating perspectives on ophthalmic treatment. We learned that chocolate could have a role in glaucoma treatment, and consumed some brutal yet highly informative reports on ocular trauma in South Africa. These sessions are not to be missed, you can find them on Track 1 of Saturday’s streams.

So kudos to all for attending what we’re hoping will become the global premiere event in ophthalmological awesomeness, where everyone can come together to trade the latest news about everything, from cataracts to macular edema, and where everyone will be compelled to wear a banana suit costume. Remember, the revolution will be available on our social media channels, so make sure you keep following our Facebook and LinkedIn accounts for the latest news on all things eyeballs. In the meantime, it’s been marvelous friends, and thank you for coming.

Editor’s Note: This article is the cover story of CAKE & PIE POST (C&PE 2021 Edition), Issue 3. To browse the full issue, click here.

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