Updates on

AAO-MEACO JOINT MEETING
Chicago, Oct 16-19, 2010
Visa and Travel Information

The 2010 Joint Meeting will be held in Chicago, which is serviced by O’Hare International Airport (ORD), the second-busiest airport in the world. It is convenient to travel to O’Hare since there are direct flights from more than 60 countries. Arriving into O’Hare, visitors will be greeted by experienced and professional border personnel. To avoid unnecessary flight delays, we recommend you book flights directly to Chicago.

In order to ease the visa processing for members, the AAO had informed all American consulates in the Middle East and Africa about this joint meeting.

Please commence your visa processing early by following these steps:

1. Consult the U.S. Department of State for detailed information about visitor visa procedures.
2. Find the nearest U.S. Embassy or consulate.
3. Fill out an electronic visa application that you can print and take to your visa interview.
4. Personalize the Academy's letter of invitation to assist in your visitor visa application process.

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WORLD OPHTHALMOLOGY CONGRESS (WOC 2010)
Berlin, Germany, June 5-9, 2010
2^nd Early Bird Registration Deadline in May

The deadline for the 2^nd early bird registration for the upcoming WOC 2010, Berlin ends on the 10^th May 2010. On-site registrations would then open from the 11^th May 2010. For more information on the registration fee, please visit http://www.woc2010.org/registration/registration-fees.html

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Upcoming Meetings

Syrian Ophthalmological Society Meeting
Damascus, Syria, April 21-23, 2010

The annual conference of the Syrian Ophthalmological Society in collaboration with the World Association of ISRS Refractive Surgery will be held from 21-23 April 2010 in Ebla Sham Hotel, Damascus, Syria. For more information on the scientific program, click here.

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Lebanese Ophthalmological Society Meeting
Beirut, Lebanon, April 23-25, 2010

The 18th Annual Congress of the Lebanese Ophthalmological Society meeting is to be held from 23-25 April 2010 in Bristol Hotel, Beirut. The scientific contents of the meeting would include subspecialty day discussing Pediatric Uveitis, Cornea and Anterior Segment, Refractive Surgery, Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus and Oculoplastics. To view the flyer of the Lebanese Society Meeting, please click here.

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Registrations now open for the 1^st International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS)/Magrabi International Congress
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 12-14, 2010

Participants are now welcome to register for the 1st International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS)/Magrabi International Congress, to be held in collaboration with MEACRS (Middle East Africa Cataract and Refractive Surgery Society) and SOS (Saudi Ophthalmology Society). Register and know more about the meeting by logging on here.

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News/Reports

Recommendations for Public Health Control of Glaucoma in the EMR

The IMPACT EMR and International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR-IAPB) in conjunction with World Health Organization –EMRO had developed recommendations for the public health control of Glaucoma in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR).

The recommendations were a product of 3 days workshop on Glaucoma public health control strategies in the EMR. The workshop was held at the WHO EMRO office Cairo, Egypt from 14- 16 December 2009. Participants included international and regional experts in Glaucoma, public health ophthalmology, representatives of WHO EMRO, international and local NGOs in the region, national coordinators for prevention of blindness from EMR, and representatives of tertiary and research institutions. You can read the summary report and recommendations here.

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Practical guide for Medical Editors and health researchers

"A practical guide for health researchers" (WHO Regional Publications Eastern Mediterranean Series 30) by MF Fathalla and MMF Fathalla is a manual for medical editors and health researchers. The manual could provide a lot of solid practical advice that researchers can use to write better articles and have the potential to increase the quality, dissemination and impact of research articles from the region. The manual is available at http://www.emro.who.int/publications/Book_Details.asp?ID=187. This resource contains guidance on writing manuscripts for publication as well as guidance on other research-related activities.

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AAO honors MEACO's PB Committee Chair

Dr. Ahmed Trabelsi, Chair of Prevention of Blindness Committee in MEACO has been honored with the AAO’s International Blindness Prevention Award. The award is presented at the Academy's Annual Meeting each fall. The International Blindness Prevention Award, established in 1992, honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the prevention of blindness or restoration of sight worldwide. MEACO would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr. Trabelsi on this great achievement.

Dr. Ahmed Trabelsi

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New Scientific Articles from MEAJO

Keratoconus: Overview and Update on Treatment

Keratoconus is a non-inflammatory, progressive thinning process of the cornea which often leads to high myopia and astigmatism. Corneal topography devices are valuable for diagnosis of subclinical keratoconus and tracking progression of the disease. Conservative management of keratoconus begins with spectacle correction and contact lenses. Newer, invasive treatments are available for contact lens intolerant patients. Intrastromal corneal ring segments are used to reshape abnormal cornea to improve topographic abnormalities and visual acuity. Phakic intraocular lenses such as iris-fixated, angle-supported, posterior chamber implantable collamer, and toric lenses are additional options. Corneal cross-linking’s a new method of stiffening the cornea to halt progression of disease. Future management of keratoconus will incorporate multiple treatment modalities for prevention and treatment of disease.

Espandar L, Meyer J. Keratoconus: Overview and update on treatment. Middle East Afr J Ophthalmol 2010;17:15-20

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Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty: Indications, Surgical Techniques and Complications

Concept of lamellar keratoplasty (LK) is not new. However, it had been abandoned and largely replaced by the time-honored technique of penetrating keratoplasty because lamellar keratoplasty is technically demanding, time consuming and suboptimal visual outcomes due to interface irregularity arising from manual lamellar dissection. Recent improvements in surgical instruments and introduction of new techniques of maximum depth of corneal dissection, as well as, inherent advantages such as preservation of globe integrity and elimination of endothelial graft rejection have resulted in a re-introduction of LK as an alternative to conventional penetrating keratoplasty. Described are the indications, different techniques, clinical outcomes, and complications of deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty.

Farid Karimian, Sepehr Feizi. Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty: Indications, Surgical Techniques and Complications. Middle East Afr J Ophthalmol 2010;17:28-37

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