Brighton Cornea Centre
UK and international consultants, trainees and even veterinary surgeons converged on the Sussex Eye hospital on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 June 2014 for the Brighton Cornea Course directed by Professor Christopher Lie (www.brightoncorneacourse.org.uk.) Well over 100 delegates of all grades attended the two-day intensive corneal update. The format was of seven chaired sessions a day featuring five 12 minutes sessions with time for lively discussion.
Professor Anthony Bron opened on blepharitis, highlighting that posterior blepharitis is not synonymous with Meiboimian gland dysfunction (MGD), the latter representing one of many causes of the former. MGD can be asymptomatic without blepharitis.
Professor Harminder Dua chaired an update on limbal stem call evidence and latest therapies such as in vivo cultured limbal grafts facilitated an amniotic membranes. A helpful take home limbal stem cell failure algorithm urged consideration of 1) visual axis involvement, 2) partial or complete, 3) unilateral or bilateral to direct surgical treatment choice.
In the imaging session Professor Madhavan Rajan extolled the virtues of lissamine green for its sensitivity in epithelialopathies. Meanwhile, Professor Phil Murray’s inflammation cases highlighted a systematic approach to the age-old ‘Is it scleritis?’ dilemma.
Fittingly, in the only UK centre offering osteo-odonto-keratoprothesis, Prof Christopher Liu’s team talked delegates through not only the surgery but patient selection, physical and psychological pre-assessment, prosthesis choice rationale and complications.
Ignorance of contact lenses was sispelled with Professor Roger Buckley’s whistle-stop tour lauding therapeutic contact lenses as the ophthalmologist’s best friend (and occasionally foe).
A heated discussion on protocols and chronology for collagen crosslinking and photorefractive keratectomy followed the keratoconus session.
Mr Derek Tole led a herpes simplex keratisis, herpes simplex keratisis, herpes zoster virus (HSV, HZV) and the exotic keratisis refresher before Prof Roger Buckley demystified classification of ocular allergic disease, whilst Prof, Harminder Dua showed a video of his novel sutuareless glued mitomycin augmented pterygium techniques.
The ccorneal infection session included Mr David Verity on the assistance of your local oculoplatic specialist can offer in the jeopardised ocular surface.
Mr Derek Tole and Professor Jod Metha led the keratoplasty update with helpful videos on the no-touch descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) technique and grab and pull sheets glide descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) technique through to helpful animations on the nuances and implications of graft sutures. Mr Fook Chang Lam led discussion on the advantage of transition to DMEK supported with exciting refractive data including best corrected visual acuity (BCVA( better than 6/12 at one month. Mr Leon Au offered valuable tips on tube surgery and steroids in concurrent and sequential graft glaucoma whilst Mr Mayank Nanavaty explored the surgical pinnacle of reducing graft astigmatism.
Mr Malcom Samel’s tour of corneal injuries appraised acute protocols including latest thoughts on sodium management. Miss Vicky Cohen and Mr Mandeep Sagoo reiewed neoplastic referral guidance with memorable cases. Prof Harminder Dua finished with ‘How To’ Corneal technique video guides for the juniors.
Credit to Mr Avadhanam, Mrs Liu and Ms Station for their efforts organising the course. A very intensive high yield educational experience not to be missed from your future PPD Plan!
