Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences

Ocular Therapeutics Conference

Conference organizers (from left to right): Dr Trevor Gray, Associate Professor Ilva Rupenthal and Professor Charles McGhee

The Ocular Therapeutics Conference is a not-for-profit postgraduate education event brought to the New Zealand eye-care community by the Buchanan Ocular Therapeutics Unit, University of Auckland. It has been designed for optometrists, ophthalmologists, pharmacists and senior optometry and ophthalmology trainees. Topics are delivered in an entertaining 12-minute rapid-fire fashion, along with interactive panel discussions.

Note that due to the uncertainties around holding larger meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic there will be no conference in 2021. However, we will hold smaller, thematic Ocular Therapeutics Evenings (OTE) throughout the year. Please see below for the date and topic of each OTE. CPD points have been applied for.

OTE1: Wednesday 12 May 2021 - Glaucoma (2 Glaucoma points approved)
OTE2: Monday 12 July 2021 - Anterior segment
OTE3: Tuesday 14 September 2021 - Dry eye disease
OTE4: Tuesday 26 October 2021 - Paediatrics

To register for the OTE Series 2021, please click here or scan the QR code. Note, a discount applies if applying for all four evenings at once.

OTE1

Wednesday 12^th May 2021 - Glaucoma
6.00-6:30	Drinks and nibbles upon arrival
6.30-7:00	Surgical versus medical management of glaucoma	Shenton Chew
7:00-7:15	Where are we with preservative free glaucoma medications?	Divya Perumal
7.15-7:30	Interesting glaucoma case studies	Hussain Patel
7:30-7:45	New glaucoma medications in the pipeline	Ilva Rupenthal
7:45-8:00	OCT in glaucoma	Graham Reeves
8:00-8:30	MCQ poll and panel discussion	All speakers
8:30-9:00	Drinks and nibbles over networking

Previous Presentations List

2020

You can access the presentation slides as a PDF file by clicking on the Download link. You can also test your knowledge on these topics by completing the MCQ quiz.

Session 1 – Anterior Segment Therapeutics
Non-healing epithelial defects	Mohammed Ziaei	Download
Corneal collagen cross-linking – Clinical outcomes and the evolution of five years of public service in Auckland	Akilesh Gokul	Download
Atropine - What dose to use in myopia control?	Rasha Al-Taie	Download
Dry eye management at SOVS – trials and tribulations of the first year	Marcy Tong	Download
Preservatives and ocular surface disease	Trevor Gray	Download
Session 2 – The Rare and The Unusual
Stem cell treatments	Trevor Sherwin	Download
Chemical injury to the eye	Sue Ormonde	Download
Rho kinase inhibitors and corneal transplants	Charles McGhee	Download
Aniridia – the definitive eye development disorder	Andrea Vincent	Download
Peripheral corneal melts	Alexandra Crawford	Download
Session 3 – Of Bugs and Drugs
Microbial keratitis - Beating the bugs in 2020	Stephanie Watson	Download
Toxoplasmosis	Rachael Niederer	Download
Acanthamoeba	Dipika Patel	Download
Herpes and the cornea - Getting the diagnosis and treatment right	Stephanie Watson	Download
Session 4 – Anti-VEGFs and Alternatives
It’s all about the bling	Olga Brochner	Download
Anti-VEGF agents in diabetic retinopathy	Sophie Hill	Download
Can new drug delivery systems solve the VEGF-injection dilemma?	Ilva Rupenthal	Download
Alternative drugs to anti-VEGF agents	Colin Green	Download
Astaxanthin – a potential ocular antioxidant?	Grant Watters	Download

2019

Session 1 – Drug toxicity and side effects in the eye
How common are ocular side effects of systemic medications?	Charles McGhee
Toxicity of common systemic medications to the cornea and lens	James McKelvie
Retinal toxicity of common systemic medications	Monika Pradhan
Toxicity of common systemic medications to the optic nerve	Taras Papchenko
The diverse tissue side-effects of common glaucoma eye drops	Divya Perumal
Session 2 – Therapeutic controversies: managing myopia
Pharmacological myopia control – PRO atropine	Rasha Altaie
Pharmacological myopia control – CON atropine	John Phillips
Optical myopia control – PRO Ortho-K	Alex Petty
Optical myopia control – CON Ortho-K	Akilesh Gokul
An overview of children’s visual impairment in Aotearoa	Grahame Wilson
Session 3 – A comprehensive approach to glaucoma
Standardised approaches in the analysis of visual fields and OCT	Divya Perumal
Systemic risk factors in glaucoma – key questions to ask	Helen Danesh-Meyer
The mechanics of glaucoma assessment	Hannah Kersten
Glaucoma management at the coal face	Tony Cradwick
Session 4 – Therapeutic controversies: antibiotics, dietary supplements and pulsed light
Azithromycin and the management of external eye diseases	Trevor Gray
Does doxycycline still have a role in the management of MGD?	Jay Meyer
PRO Omega-3 and other dietary supplements in eye disease	Leo Sheck
CON Omega-3 and other dietary supplements in eye disease	Andrew Thompson
Intense pulsed light therapy for MGD	Jennifer Craig

2018

Session 1 – Prescribing, drug interactions and side effects
Oral medications for ocular conditions	Jay Meyer
Toxicity of common systemic medications to the eye	Taras Papchenko
Optometrist prescribing trends in NZ	Nicola Anstice
The Pharmacist’s role in eye care	Maree Jensen
Session 2 – Therapeutics for posterior segment diseases
Targeting the inflammasome pathway – an oral treatment for AMD and DR	Colin Green
Topical medications for posterior eye diseases	Narme Deva
Gene therapeutics in the treatment of retinal diseases	Andrea Vincent
Nutrition and supplements for posterior segment diseases	Emma Sandford
The role of OCT in the management of macular disease: A case-based review	David Squirrell
Session 3 – Anterior segment therapeutics
Surface modification of contact lenses for improved properties	Heather Sheardown
Myopia – Can we control children?	Rasha Altaie
Treating the rising scourge of acanthamoeba keratitis	Dipika Patel
Avoiding and managing corneal transplant rejection	Charles McGhee
Challenging glaucoma cases	Hussain Patel
Session 4 – Dry eye session according to TFOS DEWS II
Dry eye re-defined and classified	Jennifer Craig
Dry eye diagnostic methods	Stuti Misra
The role of iatrogenic dry eye in refractive surgery	Trevor Gray
The science behind ocular lubricants	Ilva Rupenthal
Current and future management and therapy of dry eye	Maria Markoulli

2017

Session 1
Inflammatory eye diseases – understanding cause and effect of common disorders	Rachael Niederer
Drugs used for managing acute anterior uveitis	Narme Deva
Treating & monitoring neovascular AMD – challenges and opportunities for non-ophthalmologists	Olga Brochner
Surgical therapeutics – treatment of eye conditions beyond prescription drugs	Mohammed Ziaei
Remote diagnosis and treatment of vision-threatening disorders – modern telemedicine today	Samantha Simkin
Session 2
Nutrition, supplements and alternative remedies – current research	Simon Dean
Off-label use of drugs for vision-threatening disorders	Andrew Thompson
Cells as therapeutics for vision-threatening disorders	Jie Zhang
How can optometrists stay safe prescribing oral medications?	Trevor Gray
Compounding of eye drops in New Zealand	Derryn Gargiulo
Session 3
Glaucoma drugs - managing the glaucoma patient who does not respond to first line therapy	Hussain Patel
Glaucoma Collaborative Care – advanced therapeutics training with NZNEC	Hannah Kersten
Acute and chronic side effects from glaucoma eye drops	Ainsley Morris
ROCK inhibitors for glaucoma and corneal diseases	Charles McGhee
New drugs and drug delivery devices for glaucoma management	Ilva Rupenthal
Session 4
The latest in dry eye drugs/therapies – DEWS update 2017	Jennifer Craig
Prescribing of topical antibiotics – how to choose, monitor and withdraw?	Jay Meyer
Allergy eye drops and vasoconstrictors: myths and realities	Penny McAllum
Corneal cross-linking in children – a small window of opportunity	Rasha Altaie

2016

Session 1
A brief historical overview of medications and the eye	Ilva Rupenthal
How do topical drop medications actually get into the eye?	Charles McGhee
The role of Oral Rx for MGD and Dry Eye Disease	Trevor Gray
Drops, gels and ointments – why use them and when to use?	Ilva Rupenthal
Secret ingredients you don’t know about – surfactants, buffers, preservatives and the benefits, risks and costs of “preservative free”	Andrew Thompson
Session 2
What it takes to get a drug approved by the US FDA?	Colin Green
Funding of new medicines in New Zealand	Sarah Fitt
Artificial tear supplements	Jennifer P. Craig
Antibiotics overview – spectrum, mechanisms of action, general uses prophylaxis/treatment	Mark Saunders
A systematic approach to antibiotics in conjunctivitis and blepharitis	Penny McAllum
Session 3
Glaucoma drugs overview – spectrum, mechanism of action, general uses	Stephen Best
A systematic approach to therapy in open angle glaucoma	Hussain Patel
Corticosteroids overview	Charles McGhee
A systematic approach to the use of corticosteroids in practice – allergic eye disease, post-op, transplant, uveitis	Sue Ormonde
Session 4
Alternatives to corticosteroids and their uses – mast cell stabilisers, NSAIDS, Cyclosporine	Simon Dean
Low dose atropine for myopia control	Rasha Altaie
How to manage common glaucoma drop side-effects?	Helen Danesh-Meyer
Frontiers of ocular therapeutics – from laboratory bench to clinic	Ilva Rupenthal

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