8^th November

Dr. Usha Kim, Chief, Orbit and Oculoplasty, Aravind-Madurai
– Beyond the eyes: Way to go

San Francisco, 3-6 November

Thulasiraj Ravilla, Executive Director, LAICO

• Scaling retina, glaucoma, paediatric eye services: Lessons from cataract and refractive error
• Green ophthalmology, our sustainability mandate
• Cataract and refractive error: Achieving 2030 goals for quality and volume (Co-moderator)

Dr. Sharmila, Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Service, Aravind-Madurai

• Outcomes of pupillary block glaucoma after vitreous retinal surgery (E poster presentation)
• Surgical management in short eyes with videos on sclerostomy and benefits of the surgery (Co-contributor of a course on short eyes)

Dr. Indira Durai, Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Service, Aravind-Madurai

• Comparison of IOP reduction and systemic effects of conventional vs. 10-μL 0.5% TM eyedrops (Paper presentation)

Dr.  Neelam Pawar, Medical Consultant, Paediatric Ophthalmology Service, Aravind-Tirunelveli

• Wet lab MSICS (Instructor)

Dr. Annamalai O., Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Service, Aravind-Pondicherry

• Comparison of IOP reduction and systemic effects of conventional vs. 10-μL 0.5% TM eyedrops (Paper presentation – Co-author)
• MSICS wet lab session organised by Dr. Avni Shah (Participant)

Dr. Siddharth, Medical Consultant, General Ophthalmology Services, Aravind-Coimbatore

• Multi-centric evaluation of a CRISPR/Cas12a-based diagnostic platform for the diagnosis of fungal keratitis (Best paper award at the session on Cornea )
• Comparative evaluation of a novel CRISPR/Cas12a-based diagnostic tool, culture, PCR, and next-generation sequencing for the diagnosis of fungal endophthalmitis (Poster presentation in retina)

Dr. Haripriya, Chief, Cataract Services, Aravind-Chennai

• Aravind pseudoexfoliation (APEX) study: Ten-year postoperative results (Best paper at the cataract session)
• From soil to sight: An inconceivable invasion (Video presentation)
• MSICS in challenging cases (Course Co-Instructor)
• Cataract spotlight symposium (Panelist)
• HelpMeSee simulator exhibit – Simulation in cataract surgery (Panelist)

Dr. Ganesh Venkataraman, Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Service, Aravind – Coimbatore

• Elusive glaucoma: Strategies for busy eye programmes, (Speaker)
• Limbus-based conjunctival flap with patchless technique of AADI implantation: A retrospective comparative study (Scientific poster presentation – Senior author)
• The first study on fixed-dose combination of Timolol + Brimonidine + Brinzolamide eye drops for OAG/Ocular hypertension (Poster presentation: Dr. Ganesh – Co-author and Dr. Manjula S. – Senior author)

Goa, 3–4 November 2023

Dr. R. Kim, Director, IT, AECS, & CMO, Aravind-Madurai, was elected as the president of the Telemedicine Society of India (TSI) for the year 2023-2024.

Dr. Usha Kim, Head, Vision Centres

• Tech-enabled vision centres and their role in achieving universal eye health

USA, 23 October 2023 – 10 November 2023

Dr. R. Sharmila visited Mass Eye & Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts and engaged in discussions with Dr. David Friedman, Director, Glaucoma Service, and Dr. Nazlee Zebardast, Medical Director. The discussions focused on collaboration activities and a manuscript review of her work on Assessing the surgical outcomes of resurgeries among 1150 primary glaucoma surgeries. Dr. Freedman and his team responded positively, expressing their intent to submit the manuscript to Ophthalmology Glaucoma. Additionally, Dr. Sharmila spent a day in the clinic with Dr. Teresa C. Chen, the key planner for the AAO Glaucoma Subspecialty Day sessions.
She also met with Dr. Sam Reiter, Director, California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC), and Dr. Kevin, Chair, CPMC. And, in the following day, she delivered a grand rounds lecture on Tips & tricks to safe surgery in short eyes, attended by faculty and residents at Sutter Health California Pacific Medical Center. Her talk prompted a special appreciation email from the chair of CPMC to Dr. R.D. Ravindran, Chairman, AECS. After the lecture, Dr. Sharmila delivered a resident lecture on Video bouquet of interesting cataract cases. She shared three interesting cases of post-operative hypotony management, followed by Trab and tube surgeries with videos. She also discussed managing microspherophakia with a quadruple procedure.
Further, she met Prof. David Chang and spent a day observing him in the operating room, gaining insights into newer aspects of cataract surgery such as intraoperative aberrometry-guided precise calculations, changing IOL power implantation, irrigating cystotomes for capsulotomy, optimising the rhexis size based on the IOL position by redesigning the rhexis after IOL placement, and the use of NSAID & steroid combo alone for post-op regimen. She also learned about Light Adjustable lenses (LAL), which are monofocal lenses treated by UV light post-operatively to correct near vision, avoiding glare.
Additionally, she visited Glaucoma Associates of Texas to observe Dr. Davinder Grover and learn about Minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS). This offered fruitful experience with different MIGS procedures, like hydrus, I stent, omni, KDB, ab interno bleb needling, GATT, and newer devices like I Star Miniject.