GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON RETINA SURGERY HELD IN CHENNAI
• Dr. C Vijaya Baskar, Hon’ble Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Tamil Nadu, inaugurated the event
• Over 600 eye surgeons from India and abroad participated
MAY 6, 2018 / CHENNAI: The eighth edition of RETICON, India’s biggest annual conference on retina surgery, was inaugurated in Chennai by Dr. C Vijaya Baskar, Hon’ble Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Tamil Nadu, in the presence of Dr. J Radhakrishnan, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Tamil Nadu; Prof. Dr. Amar Agarwal, Chairman, Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospitals, and over 600 specialists in retinal surgery from India and abroad.
RETICON is dedicated to eye surgeons who want to stay abreast with the latest surgical techniques in vitreo retina disorder management. It offers a unique opportunity for PG students and general ophthalmologists to understand various state-of-the-art diagnostics and treatment options in vitreo-retinal specialty.
Jerzy Nawrocki, inventor of the inverted flap of ILM for macular hole surgery, was one of the distinguished faculty from abroad participating at RETICON. The event facilitated networking between national and International delegates and exchange of information about retinal studies and catalyzing the next generation of vision research.
The main highlight of the conference includes talk by Prof Dr Amar Agarwal, Chairman, Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospitals on major breakthrough in vitreoretinal surgery and on a new surgical technique for macular hole repair using coloured visco elastics by Dr. Atul Dhawan and an update on Hypersonic vitrectomy, a pioneering technology in the field of vitreous surgery that was first successfully performed at Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospitals in July 2017.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Dr Amar Agarwal, Chairman, Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospitals, said: “The 8th edition of RETICON provides a great opportunity for specialists to know about the latest innovations in retinal surgery. Diseases of the retina have had low priority in blindness prevention programmes in developing nations. These diseases are responsible for 4.7% of all cases of blindness in India and are expected to become more common in the future. With rapid diagnostic, medical and surgical advances in managing retinal diseases, their treatment is becoming much more affordable and effective. However, there is an acute shortfall of skilled experts in retinal ophthalmology in the country.”
Well-known ophthalmologists such as Dr. Atul Kumar, Dr. Avinash Panthengey, Dr. Kim Ramasamy, Dr. Lalit Verma, Dr. Pradeep Venkatesh and Dr. Vivek Dave spoke on various aspects of retinal surgery.
Actual surgeries were live streamed at the event, including Macular Hole Surgery, Diabetic Retinopathy, and IOL Drop, conducted by surgeons such as Dr. Nilesh Kanjani, Dr. Atul Kumar, Dr. Atul Dhawan and Dr. Manoj Khatri.
It is estimated that the blind population in India would rise to 15 million people by 2020. Retinal diseases account for a significant share of the vision-loss burden, compared to other eye-related diseases that can cause blindness. Retina is that part of the eye where the final vision is formed. A damaged retina can lead to complete vision loss.
About Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital
Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital a comprehensive eye hospital offering a one-stop solution for eye ailments; was started in the year 1957. Now the hospital is in its 61st year of offering quality services in eye care. It has 31 hospitals in Tamil Nadu and a visible footprint in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andaman, West Bengal, and Rajasthan. A tertiary eye care centre at Mauritius marks its first step towards establishing an international presence extended upto 13 branches covering the Indian Ocean region, African countries and East Asia.
