The Cairo Retina Meeting (CRM), which takes place every 2 years, became a joint society meeting in 2012, bringing perspectives from all over the world and involving clinicians from the Arab African Society of Retina Specialists, the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), and the European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology (ESASO). The sixth CRM was held this year from January 14-16 at the Marriott Zamalek Hotel and Casino in Cairo, Egypt.

Pictured, left to right: Carl C. Awh, MD; Tarek S. Hassan, MD; Ehab El Rayes, MD, PhD; Jose Garcia Arumi, MD; and Carlos Mateo, MD.

The faculty and their spouses enjoyed a tour of the pyramids during their visit to Cairo.

An impressive 530 retina physicians (both speakers and attendees) representing 26 countries were present at this year’s CRM, which included keynote lectures, roundtable discussions and sessions, a video panel, a press conference, and an award session.

Marco Zarbin, MD, delivered two keynote lectures. One was an update on gene therapy and stem cells in retinal degenerative disease, and the second was an update on the management of diabetic macular edema.

Discussions and panels centered around such topics as surgical techniques and new devices, novel ways to treat retinal detachments, management of anterior segment complications, macular surgery, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and more. Tarek Hassan, MD; Carl Awh, MD; and CRM founder Ehab El Rayes, MD, moderated a special joint session hosted by the ASRS. The session shared world-class experiences managing advanced treatment and diagnostic approaches such as hypersonic vitrectomy and OCT angiography. Another joint session, hosted by the ESASO and moderated by Jose Garcia Arumi, MD, Dr. Hassan, and Dr. El Rayes, included talks on OCT-based macular hole positioning, giant tears, and treatment for massive subretinal hemorrhage.

A video panel titled “How Do I Do It?” was a place for attendees to watch how colleagues from other parts of the world manage complications and perform specific surgical techniques and procedures.

During the CRM, meeting organizers sat down for a press conference with several press outlets, magazines, and television networks, including the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The organizers discussed the range of topics covered in the meeting’s agenda and highlighted the latest developments and treatment recommendations to patients.

A young retina specialist session featured an award given to the best presenter. Also at that session, John W. Kitchens, MD, gave a lecture to the fellows offering them advice on starting their careers.

Learn more about the CRM and the Arab African Society of Retina Specialists, subscribe to the CRM newsletter, find out about continuing medical education opportunities, and more at www.crmaasrs.com. The next meeting will take place January 11-13, 2018. n