Eye to the future of ophthalmology

ICO Annual Conference 2024 programme highlights

This year’s three-day ICO Annual Conference programme contains a varied mix of topical sessions looking at vision and strabismus, uveitis, an orbit and socket symposium, and sustainability in ophthalmology, featuring leading national and international speakers. There will also be the usual paper sessions highlighting high-quality research from across the country, as well as practical workshops on disc assessment – how to assess an
optic nerve, and corneal topography.

Among the guest speakers are Mr Ian Marsh, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at the Liverpool University Hospital, NHS Trust, UK; and Dr Arvind Chandna, Senior Clinician Scientist at Smith Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, US, who will present at the Vision and Strabismus symposium; alongside Ms Kathryn McCreery, Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin Hospital, Dublin.

Mr Manoj Parulekar, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at the Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK; and Prof Geoffrey Rose, Consultant Orbital, Lacrimal and Plastic Reconstructive Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK, are guest speakers at the Orbit and Socket symposium. Mr Tim Fulcher, Mater Hospital, Dublin, will chair and present at this session.

During the dedicated symposium on Sustainability in Ophthalmology, Ms Radhika Rampat, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at the Royal Free London NHS Trust, UK, will discuss the sustainability in ophthalmology journey so far of the American European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery (AECOS) – Green Working Group. Ms Rampat is the co-chair of the group.

Dr Philip Crowley, HSE National Lead for Climate Change, will discuss the HSE Climate Action Strategy 2023-2050 being adopted to reduce emissions and protect population health in the Irish healthcare system.

Dr Emilie Mahon, RCSI Ophthalmology Tutor at the RVEEH, Dublin, will outline the findings of her research on the ecological impact of phacoemulsification cataract surgery where she examined the single-use items consumption at University Hospital Limerick.

Mr Arthur Cummings, Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Wellington Eye Clinic, Dublin, will present on how artificial intelligence and the allied health professional team can lead to improvements in making ophthalmic practice sustainable.

This year’s Mooney Lecture on the topic of ‘TED (Thyroid Eye Disease) Customised Management’ will be delivered by Prof Geoffrey Rose, Consultant Orbital, Lacrimal, and Plastic Reconstructive Surgeon and Past Director of the Adnexal Service at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London.

The European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE) Lecture 2024 will be delivered by Mr Micheal O’Rourke, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, RVEEH, Dublin.

Also speaking at the conference, Prof Brendan Kelly, Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin and Consultant Psychiatrist at Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, will share his insights on ‘Pandemics in Ireland, and lessons learned from Covid (If any)’. His recently published book Resilience: Lessons from Sir William Wilde on Life After Covid reflects on the pandemic in Ireland and what we might learn as a society and as individuals from the experience.

Prof Kelly will present the Sir William Wilde Medal to the author of the best poster.

See www.eyedoctors.ie/westport2024/ for the full programme details.