Programme Synopsis

Given the opportunity this year, the Dublin organising committee has decided to host a conference which we hope will be very appealing to the veterinary ophthalmology practitioners of Europe. It is a change in format from the usual joint conference hosted with the ECVO.

Day 1 – Thursday 13th May – Workshops

Click here for further information on the Workshops

Day 2 – Friday 14th May – VICAS CE Day

08.00	Registration opens
09.00	EYELIDS	Prof Peter Bedford
	The kinked, the bent, the loose and the grossly deformed - all the product of our human desire to produce a particular appearance to what the irresponsible Breed Standard liberally calls the "eye". Fortunately these man-made deformities lend themselves to surgical correction, some of which can be really successful in alleviating discomfort and disability. Sadly not all our therapy can be truly effective in all our patients and it must be obvious not only to the Bateson Enquiry that major changes to Breed Standards are essential. We'll discuss treatment in terms of success and in this first session we'll deal mainly with the problems due to macrophthalmos.
10.30	Break & Exhibition
11.00	Breeders breed them, Vets fix them	Prof Peter Bedford
	such as inherited eyelid conditions distichiasis, extopic cilium, trichiasis - In this session we'll discuss some of the other inherited eyelid conditions in the dog such as distichiasis, its second cousin labelled descriptively as the ectopic cilium and trichiasis. Again its surgery that provides the answers and "they make them, we fix them" underlines the significant role that today's breeder has to play in improving the lot of the pedigree dog.
11.30	LARGE ANIMAL OPHTHALMOLOGY	Dr Terry Grimes
	Congenital Conditions, Eyelid Repair, Tumour Removal
12.30	Lunch & Exhibition
14.00	Enucleation of the Bovine Eye	Dr Terry Grimes
14.30	EYELIDS	Prof Peter Bedford
	Acquired eyelid disease. Tumour resection in the dog and cat - In this post-prandial session we'll discuss various aspects of acquired eyelid disease and describe some techniques to repair the eyelid after tumour resection in the dog and cat. Fortunately both species often have a sufficiency of skin to repair the largest of surgical and traumatic wounds, with perhaps the most ingenious of techniques employing the Mustarde approach to repair the upper eyelid or our use of tissue from the upper lip to replace the lower eyelid.
16.00	Exhibitors Cheese and Wine Reception
16.30	ESVO ABM

Day 3 - Saturday 15th May – Cataract Surgery

08.00	Registration opens
09.00	CATARACT SURGERY	Prof David Wilkie
	Pre operative considerations – What do we worry about prior to surgery? - Patient selection and assessment of pre-operative issues prior to surgery is critical to the success of small animal cataract surgery. Issues such as stage of cataract, presence of lens-induced uveitis, diabetes associated issues, congenital ocular abnormalities, lens instability, elevated intraocular pressure, risks for retinal detachment and many other variables must be evaluated and used to plan a cataract surgery and determine outcome.
10.30	Break & Exhibition
11.00	Management of intra operative complications	Prof David Wilkie
	What do we worry about during and after surgery - Management of intra-operative complications is critical to ensuring a successful outcome in cataract surgery. Situations such as a miotic pupil, anterior and posterior capsular tears, vitreous presentation and hard lenses can and will occur during surgery. How the surgeon handles these will determine outcome. Post-operatively, immediate and long-term issues and complications will be discussed. Differences in the post-operative management of the diabetic and non-diabetic, frequency of follow-up and post-operative medications will be covered.
12.30	Lunch & Exhibition
14.00	HEREDITARY EYE DISEASE	Stuart Ellis
	Interesting Eye Cases – Is it inherited – how do I record it? Is there a genetic test?
15.30	Break & Exhibition
16.00	CATARACTS
	Equine Cataract Surgery – the good, the bad and the ugly.	Prof David Wilkie
	Should we perform surgery in the horse? - Should we perform cataract surgery in the horse? Is there a difference based on the age of the horse? Is there a difference based on the etiology of the cataract or the presence of Equine Recurrent Uveitis. Should I implant an intraocular lens in the horse? Can I perform cataract surgery in the horse using my small animal equipment? The answers to these and other questions regarding equine cataract surgery will be discussed.
18.00	Awards & Next Meeting Presentation

Day 4 - Sunday 16th May - Genetics

08.00	Registration opens
GENETICS
09.00	Genetics Overview, Mutation & Disease	Dr Cathryn Mellersh
	A leader in genetics research who is based at the Animal Health Trust in England This promises to be a practical session informing the ophthalmology practitioner of the practical aspect of genetics, when a condition can be considered inherited, and what role; genetic testing plays. Within this session there will be a 30 minute clinical genetics consultation.
10.00	DNA Tests
10.30	Break & Exhibition
11.00	Current Research - Limitations of DNA Tests
11.30	How Breeders Should Use DNA Tests
12.00	Treatment & Therapies
12.30	The Clinical Genetics Consult	Dr Marie Abitbol
13.00	Conference Closes