Greece to host EuCornea Congress as it returns to in-person format
Plans are already well advanced for the 13th EuCornea Congress scheduled to take place in Athens, Greece, over two days from 25 to 26 June 2022.
After two years of online experiences due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the gathering this summer marks a welcome return to in-person meetings, said George Kymionis, President of EuCornea.
“I think this is a really positive development, not only for me personally but also for all our members. It is challenging in some respects, as this is our first in-person conference after a series of virtual conferences. And while they were very successful, the online format can never replace the magic of a conference with a physical presence where we can all meet and exchange face to face. I also believe that my home city of Athens is the ideal choice to make this new beginning since it is a city that can provide everything to the visitor,” he said.
This year’s congress will also mark the first staging of a fully independent EuCornea Congress, which had previously always taken place in combination with the annual congress of the ESCRS.
As Dr Kymionis sees it, the time has come for EuCornea to stand on its own and develop an EuCornea annual meeting. Nevertheless, our cooperation and ties with ESCRS are strong and they will continue to exist with joint scientific actions for the benefit of our members,” he said.
With registration opening shortly for the Congress, Dr Kymionis said that the organisers are fully committed to ensuring that delegates who make the trip to Athens will enjoy a truly memorable and stimulating experience.
“We expect and hope to organize a successful conference covering all the very latest developments in the field of cornea and ocular surface,” said Dr Kymionis. “We have assembled a faculty of world-renowned experts in the field of cornea diagnostics and therapeutics. Our cutting-edge scientific programme has a lot of variety and will include lectures, instructional courses, interactive workshops and an industry exhibition. The content will appeal to residents and experienced ophthalmologists alike who are interested in what is new and trending in the field of cornea,” he added.
The meeting in Athens will cover the entire spectrum of corneal pathology with keynote lectures on vaccination and corneal rejection episodes, neurotrophic keratopathy, and prevention of herpes recurrence in corneal surgery patients. Delegates will also have the chance to attend three symposia dedicated to keratoconus, endothelial keratoplasty, and complex infectious keratitis.
Another anticipated highlight of the 13th EuCornea Congress will be the opening EuCornea Medal Lecture to be given by Prof. Vincenzo Sarnicola on the topic “Surgical approach to Acanthamoeba infection.”
And new innovations are also planned in order to foster discussion and debate, with interactive case discussions being introduced between young and senior corneal specialists for the first time.
“I think we have put together a very exciting programme and we hope that members will attend in large numbers for this exclusively in-person conference,” said Dr Kymionis. “In fact, the
physical presence is probably the only ‘old’ thing that we kept at this new Congress. We are eagerly waiting to see you all in Athens in June.”
You can view the preliminary programme for the 13th EuCornea Congress here