Mark attended and lectured at the “Euretina” 2014 meeting in London recently. Held at the ExCel Centre, this is one of the world’s largest congresses devoted to retinal disorders. The aim is to allow specialists with an interest in retinal disorders to share clinical experience, research ideas, and keep up to date with this rapidly expanding field. Over 5000 delegates attended.

As an invited speaker was Mark was able to meet with associates and colleagues as far flung as Australia and Canada, as well as Europe.
Mark says: “Enormous progress has been made in the treatment of retinal disorders in the last few years. Our treatments have been revolutionized by medicines injected into the eye. The principal treatments involve medicines that block a protein called Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) – this protein is one factor that causes abnormal blood vessels to grow under or within the retina and leak fluid. Injection therapy, which is painless, now allows successful treatment in many patients with wet macular degeneration, diabetic macular swelling (oedema) and retinal vein thrombosis. Early therapies required frequent injections (monthly) but newer anti-VEGF drugs have been developed to reduce the frequency of injections so it is much less burdensome for the patient.”

Mark also attended interesting presentations of other emerging therapies such as gene therapy and retinal implants. However these treatments, although promising, are still in their infancy.