A number of world-renowned experts in the field of vision loss are set to take part in a virtual conference hosted by Irish charity, Fighting Blindness, next month.

Retina 2021 is a two-day conference, which will feature a scientific day aimed at clinicians and researchers on day one, followed by a patient engagement day.

The scientific day takes place on Friday, November 5. It aims to showcase the work of leading eye experts from around the world. Speakers will include:

-Dr Patrick Yu Wai Man, a neuro-ophthalmologist at the University of Cambridge and Moorfields Eye Hospital in the UK. He will speak about his work on a gene therapy for Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), which not only improves sight in the treated eye, but which was also found to improve vision in the untreated eye, indicating that the therapy travels from one eye to the other via the optic nerve

-Dr Bo Chen, an associate professor of ophthalmology at Mount Sinai in the US. He will present his work on protecting optic nerve cells from dying in glaucoma. Dr Chen and his team have developed a gene therapy approach to reactivate an enzyme called CaMKII, which has been providing good levels of protection against vision loss in glaucoma patients. His work could also herald similar treatments for other diseases where the optic nerve is damaged

-Prof Artur Cideciyan, a research professor of ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania in the US. He has been researching how a single injection of an RNA antisense therapy called sepofarsen is yielding positive results in improving vision in patients with the inherited retinal degeneration disorder Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA).

-Prof Mariya Moosajee, a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital in the UK. She will speak about developing nonsense suppression therapy for the treatment of inherited retinal diseases. She will also speak about her work on a new online information resource for patients with rare eye diseases, www.gene.vision, which informs patients of the latest research and clinical trials underway, and which uses Chatbot and Alexa to optimise accessibility for users.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Fighting Blindness CEO, Kevin Whelan, emphasised that Retina 2021 “is not just another online meeting”.

“It is an interactive live show production and event experience that promises to inform, inspire, educate and engage. This year, we will hear of the pioneering therapy advances underway in laboratories around the globe, which are set to change the face of patient care in eye clinics in the coming years.

“This event offers clinicians and researchers an opportunity to exchange knowledge and ideas, to get up-to-date on the latest international research, to inspire new areas of investigation and to see the research work of gifted colleagues showcased for the Geraldine Dunne Early Investigator Award,” he explained.

Currently, there are around 247,000 people in Ireland living with vision loss. For more information on the conference, which takes place on November 5-6, click here.