Leading clinicians and scientists in the field of ophthalmology are set to gather in Dublin in November as part of the annual Retina conference organised by Fighting Blindness.

Latest figures suggest that there are around 272,000 people in Ireland living with blindness or vision impairment.

This year marks the first in-person Retina conference that has been held since 2019 and the scientific stream will take place on November 3 and 4.

November 3 will feature a StarT symposium, which has been organised by StarT, a European Training Network that has been established to advance the diagnosis, understanding and treatment of Stargardt disease, a rare genetic eye disease that causes progressive vision loss.

Speakers will include Prof Mariya Moosajee of the Francis Crick Institute London, whose work includes developing new therapies for inherited retinal diseases, and Prof Jane Farrar, StarT partner at Trinity College Dublin.

November 4 will feature a wide range of speakers, including:

-Prof Catherine Bowes Rickman of Duke University in the US, who is one of the world’s leading experts on age-related macular degeneration (AMD). She will speak on the pathobiology of AMD and her work to find a cure

-Dr Alessandra Recchia, associate professor in molecular biology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy, who will update attendees on gene editing in inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) and her application of the CRISPR/Cas gene therapy tool in retinitis pigmentosa

-Dr Nikolas Pontikos of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital in the UK, who will share details of the development of the Eye2Gene artificial intelligence medical device to accurately diagnose and personalise treatments for eye disease

-Ben Shaberman, senior director of scientific outreach at Foundation Fighting Blindness in the US, who will provide an overview of some of the cutting-edge clinical trials underway for emerging therapies, including gene and optogenetic therapies.

“We are delighted to welcome some of the world’s foremost thinkers in ophthalmology research to Dublin for what promises to be the most inspiring Retina conference yet. It was 2019 when the eye research community last had an opportunity to gather in person and the intervening period has been particularly challenging for the IRD community, with several potential therapies not making it through clinical trials. 

“Many in the community feel some of these therapies have indeed shown promise, but that success is perhaps only being judged in improving, as opposed to maintaining vision, and that keeping current levels of sight should also be deemed a win,” commented Fighting Blindness research manager, Dr Ellen Moran.

She said that “the unfortunate reality is that while mutations have now been identified in over 300 genes for IRDs, therapies continue to elude us”.

“We owe it to the approximately 5,000 people in Ireland with an IRD to put our shoulders to the wheel in driving forward innovation in this area. That’s why Retina 2022 provides such a valuable opportunity to allow people to get ‘back in the room’, to meet face-to-face and to showcase the positive scientific research advances being made, as well as to address some of the challenges before us and how these can best be overcome,” she insisted.

Retina 2022 will take place in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Golden Lane, Dublin 2 on November 3 and 4. Registration opens on October 1 at www.retina.ie.