Dec 2017

SPECIAL FEATURE: RANZCO 2017
RANZCO 2017: A wealth of learning and fun
BY SAMANTHA SIMKIN*
The stunning expanse of Western Australia
was visible from the plane window as we
descended into the tranquil city of Perth at
the end of October to join the delegates of the 49th
Annual Scientific Congress of the Royal Australian
and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists
(RANZCO). We convened at the Perth Convention
and Exhibition Centre, where delegates from across
Australia and New Zealand, together with others
from further afield, came to listen, learn, teach
and discuss the latest ophthalmological thinking,
developments and discoveries.
The RANZCO Congress is renowned for
presenting cutting-edge research alongside
sub-specialty specific clinical learning, together
with the latest innovative products, and the 49th
Congress was no exception. See p3, 14 and 16 for
news from the exhibition floor.
Keynotes share a wealth of knowledge
This year, delegates were lucky to experience
the teaching and knowledge of some incredible
keynote speakers.
Dr Bonnie Henderson, clinical professor at Tufts
University School of Medicine in Boston and an
internationally recognised expert in cataract and
Drs Casey Ung and Shuan Dai with DFV’s Brad Grills (centre)
refractive surgery, graced us with her expansive
knowledge of the anterior segment, particularly in
relation to cataract surgery. In the Cataract Update
Lecture, she challenged the audience to think of
the potential causes of negative dysphotopsias
following cataract surgery and then explored
potential prevention or treatment modalities.
The Glaucoma Update Lecture was presented by Dr
Anne Coleman, the Fran and Ray Stark Professor of
Ophthalmology at the Jules Stein Institute in UCLA.
She took us beyond the typically-thought about
glaucoma risk factors, presenting large population
data in a simple and clinically applicable manner. We
learned how glaucoma may be linked to the pets we
own, the food we eat, and even the way we sleep!
Professor Michael Brodsky from the Mayo
Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, updated the
Congress on neuro diagnostic malformations of
the optic disc. A complex topic made simple by
his concise explanations and clinical tips. The
audience was then dared to find and consider
new solutions to problems in oculoplastics
by Professor Don Kikkawa from the Shiley Eye
Institute at the University of California in San
Diego, who also addressed the on going debate
of an external versus an endoscopic approach to
dacryocystorhinostomy.
Professor Lyndon da Cruz from Moorfields Eye
Hospital in London presented
the Retina Update Lecture,
which seemed like science
fiction as it jumped from
stem cell to gene therapy and
from bionic eyes to robots.
He shared the latest research
and cutting-edge scientific
breakthroughs with an
enthralled auditorium.
The named lectures, with
one of our own
As well as these amazing
invited speakers, delegates
to the 49th Congress were
overwhelmed by the talent
and experience from each
of the named lectures. My
personal favourite was the
Dr Geoffrey Cohn gives The Fred Hollows Lecture on teaching and learning in a resource-poor world
Dame Ida Mann Lecture which was given by
our very own Professor Trevor Sherwin from the
Department of Ophthalmology at the University
of Auckland. He presented on the work his clinical
group has and is doing on regenerative medicine
using stem cells and how today’s understanding of
stem cells and how they work has been completely
revised, providing incredible potential for the
treatment of corneal disease and, possibly, myopia.
We were also honoured to hear about the Alpins
Method for planning cataract surgery from the
original source of this development, Melbournebased
ophthalmologist Dr Noel Alpins himself, in
the Sir Norman Gregg Lecture.
The Fred Hollows Lecture is always an inspiring
reminder of the impact that clinicians and
scientists alike can have on individuals around
the world. Dr Geoffrey Cohn, honorary medical
coordinator of the Myanmar Eye Care Project and
Cambodia Eye Care, took everyone on a journey
through his many years of establishing eye health
programmes around the world and how important
it is to make ourselves dispensable through
the training of local people. Dr Cohn’s work
encapsulates what Fred Hollows was all about.
Plus, from RANZCO updates to AI
If all these amazing speakers weren’t enough,
there was a plethora of interesting symposia and
rapid-fire presentations run as concurrent sessions
to choose between. The biggest problem with the
Congress was not being able to be in two places
at once. Sessions ranged from how RANZCO is
helping to drive collaborative care and improve
ophthalmological training in Australasia to the
latest surgery techniques in a plethora of eye
conditions, for patients from the very young to the
very old, to how artificial intelligence (AI) is and
will continue to make an increasing impact on the
practice of ophthalmology.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
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References : 1. Lane SS, et al. J Refract Surg. 2009;25(10):899. 2. Wirtitsch MG, et al. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2004;30(1):45. 3. Potvin R, et al. Clin Ophthal. 2016; 10:1829. 4. Alcon Data on File. 2013 AcrySof ® IQ ReSTOR ® Toric Clinical Study Report .
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10 NEW ZEALAND OPTICS December 2017