News Flash

MEACO Promotes for WOC^®2012 at ESCRS/Euretina Congress 2010 in Paris

Please visit WOC2012 at booth no. 368A at the upcoming ESCRS/Euretina Congress in Paris, France. For more information on this congress, please visit: www.woc2012.org

Back to top

Updates On

AAO.MEACO Joint Meeting
Chicago, October 16-19, 2010
International Sessions and Events at the Joint Meeting

During the Joint Meeting in Chicago, there are many educational and social options for international attendees. MEACO will present 14 instruction courses, four symposia and three Joint Sessions with the AAO providing insight to treatments and technologies not available in the United States. The International Center, booth 2480, offers guests Internet access, refreshments and a place to relax. For young ophthalmologists, be sure to attend the Global YO reception on Sunday, 17 October. AAO members can get the conversation going online now and during the meeting by using the Academy Community. Visit the AAO website for more Joint Meeting program information.
If you have any questions, e-mail: meetings@aao.org.

Back to top

AAO.MEACO Joint Meeting
Chicago, October 16-19, 2010
MEACO organizes Prevention of Blindness & Residency Sessions during AAO/MEACO Joint Meeting

MEACO is organizing 2 sessions during the upcoming AAO/MEACO Joint Meeting in October: Prevention of Blindness (PB) and the other on Residency Program. Kindly, refer to the below table for more details about these sessions.

Session Title	Chaired By	Presenters	Venue	Date	Time	Room#
Residency Program: Ophthalmology Residency Programs in the MEACO Region: Challenges and Prospects	Amel Meddeb-Ouertani MD Daud Khan	Abdulaziz I Alrajhi MD Karl C Golnik MD William C Felch Jr	McCormick Place	October 16th, 2010	14:00 - 16:00	N128
Prevention of Blindness: Comprehensive Eye Care: The Second Decade of VISION 2020		Ahmed M Trabelsi MD AbdulAziz I Al Rajhi MD Ahmed M Trabelsi MD Daniel E Etya'ale Hannah Faal MBBS Amel Meddeb-Ouertani MD Mohammed B Qureshi BMBCh	McCormick Place	October 18th, 2010	15:45 - 17:15	S102 ABC

Back to top

AAO.MEACO Joint Meeting
Chicago, October 16-19, 2010
A Reminder to please Register to attend Eye Banking session in Chicago, USA

A session titled "Eye Bank Development: Overview of Key Issues" will be held during the AAO/MEACO Joint Meeting in Chicago in October. It is organized by the Middle East Africa Eye Banks Organization (MEAEBO) in collaboration with Midwest Eye Banks, Vision Share, Eye Banks Association of America (EBAA). The session will take place on October 17, 2010. At the Midwest Eye-Banks/Illinois Eye Bank, Chicago from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. including lunch. For more information about the session, kindly click here.

Interested participants need to register before September 15^th to attend the session. To register, please fill in the registration form attached here and send it to: info@meaebo.org.

Back to top

Upcoming Meetings

MEACO Oculoplastics and Glaucoma courses in OSN 2010
Abuja, Nigeria, September 16 - 18, 2010

MEACO is organizing a Glaucoma session and Oculoplastics session during the forthcoming Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria's (OSN) Congress September, 2010. To For more details about these sessions, kindly click here.

For more information about the scientific program of OSN 2010, please visit www.osnng.org

Back to top

Kuwait Ophthalmic Society organizes 2^nd Annual Conference
Kuwait, Kuwait, September 30 - October 03, 2010

The Kuwait Ophthalmic Conference, under the umbrella of Kuwait Medical Association, is holding its 2nd Annual Conference from September 30^th - October 3^rd, 2010 in Kuwait Marina Hotel. To view the scientific program of the conference, please click here.

Back to top

MEACO to launch MEAVRS first scientific activity at the Emirates Ophthalmology Conference (EOC)in December 2010
Dubai, U.A.E, December 09 - 11, 2010

The first Middle East Africa Vitreo Retinal Society (MEAVRS) is collaborating with the Emirates Ophthalmology Conference (EOC) in Dubai, in December 2010.
MEAVRS is organizing along side the EOC 2010 a comprehensive Vitreo Retinal program that covers all aspects and updates in the Vitreo Retinal specialty.

One of the program's highlights is the "MEAVRS UVEITIS COURSE" one of MEAVRS signature courses that details all the updates in Uveitis.

MEAVRS will also conduct specialized sessions including Diabetic Macular Edema, Retinal Detachment: Choice of Surgery, Updates on Endiphthalmitis, Retinopathy of Pematurity and the EVRS TALK SHOW: MEAVRS challenging surgical situations, using the EVRS Talk Show format, which is newly introduced to the region and will see the participation of renowned international and regional panelists in extensive discussions on challenging Vitreo Retinal cases.

The MEAVRS Key Note presentation titled: "Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy: Principles and techniques of vitreoretinal surgery", will highlight the Vitreo Retinal relationships important for Vitreo retinal surgery in diabetic retinopathy and outlines strategies for vitrectomy based on the pathoanatomy.

The MEACO council launched MEAVRS, during its 10^th Congress in Bahrain 2009, 12 officers are currently serving in the interim board. For more information about MEAVRS and to register in one of MEACO subspecialty societies, please visit: www.meaco.org

For more information about the EOC 2010: www.eoc2010.com

Back to top

Call for Abstracts for the annual Saudi Ophthalmology Conference SO2011
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 27 - March 2, 2011

The annual Saudi Ophthalmology Conference is scheduled to take place in February 27^th - March 2^nd, 2011 at King Fahd Cultural center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Participants interested in submitting their abstracts for the Saudi Ophthalmology 2011 (SO2011) can kindly do so by visiting: www.saudi-opthalmology.org . The abstracts submission deadline is November 1^st, 2010. For information, please click here.

Back to top

OSSA 2010: Call for abstracts
Port Elizabeth, South Africa, March 24 - 27, 2011

The Ophthalmological Society of South Africa (OSSA) is organizing its 41^st National Congress at the Feather Market Convention Centre in Port Elizabeth from March 24 - 27, 2011. Interested participants can submit their abstracts till September 17^th, 2010. To know more about the courses, click here.

Back to top

Scientific Articles from MEAJO

Idiopathic Juxtafoveolar Retinal Telangiectasis: A Current Review

Idiopathic juxtafoveolar retinal telangiectasis (IJFT), also known as parafoveal telangiectasis or idiopathic macular telangiectasia, refers to a heterogeneous group of well-recognized clinical entities characterized by telangiectatic alterations of the juxtafoveolar capillary network of one or both eyes, but which differ in appearance, presumed pathogenesis, and management strategies. Classically, three groups of IJFT are identified. Group I is unilateral easily visible telangiectasis occurring predominantly in males, and causing visual loss as a result of macular edema. Group II, the most common, is bilateral occurring in both middle-aged men and women, and presenting with telangiectasis that is more difficult to detect on biomicroscopy, but with characteristic and diagnostic angiographic and optical coherence tomography features. Vision loss is due to retinal atrophy, not exudation, and subretinal neovascularization is common. Group III is very rare characterized predominantly by progressive obliteration of the perifoveal capillary network, occurring usually in association with a medical or neurologic disease. This paper presents a current review of juxtafoveolar retinal telangiectasis, reviewing the classification of these entities and focusing primarily on the two most common types encountered in clinical practice, i.e., groups I and II, describing their clinical features, histopathology, natural history, complications, latest results from imaging modalities and functional studies, differential diagnosis, and treatment modalities.

Nowilaty SR, Al-Shamsi HN, Al-Khars W. Idiopathic juxtafoveolar retinal telangiectasis: A current review. Middle East Afr J Ophthalmol [serial online] 2010 [cited 2010 Aug 30];17:224-41

Back to top

Spontaneously resolving periocular erythema and ciliary madarosis following intra-arterial chemotherapy for Retinoblastoma

Purpose and Design: To describe an unusual clinical finding seen in children undergoing intra-arterial chemotherapy for retinoblastoma.
Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of 69 eyes of 63 patients receiving intra-arterial chemotherapy over a 3-year period. Charts and photographs of 69 consecutive cases were reviewed, and data were collected on patients with clinical evidence of a hyperemic cutaneous periocular abnormality following the procedure.
Results: A blanching erythematous and edematous patch was noted in the periocular region in 16% (11 of 69) of the children who received intraarterial chemotherapy. The plaque extended into the region of the supertrochlear and medial marginal artery distribution on the ipsilateral side of the intra-arterial chemotherapy. All patches of erythema spontaneously resolved within 3 months following completion of the intra-arterial chemotherapy.
Conclusion: Periocular erythema and swelling is a self-limited clinical finding associated with intra-arterial chemotherapy in a small number of patients.

Marr B, Gobin PY, Dunkel IJ, Brodie SE, Abramson DH. Spontaneously resolving periocular erythema and ciliary madarosis following intra-arterial chemotherapy for retinoblastoma. Middle East Afr J Ophthalmol 2010;17:207-9

Back to top