Traditio et Innovatio, the logo of Rostock University was like a godparent to the 6th Baltic Sea Eye Conference in Rostock. Traditionally Prof. Thomas Fuchsluger (Rostock) and Prof. Anna Machlińska (Szczecin) hat invited for this event (picts. 1, 2). On Friday, April 19th, the Eye Surgery Masterclass took place in Rostock University Eye Clinic and the next day the International Rostock Beach Academy together with the Young Investigator / Clinician-Scientist Symposium and an educational meeting for technicians in ophthalmology and patients in Rostock-Warnemünde. Clinical and also basic-science ophthalmologists from Germany and neighbour-countries presented their latest research and discussed their results. It was a highlighted program with two awards and all together 14 lectures. The two given awards and those lectures, held by speakers coming from abroad and joining this Baltic meeting for their first time, shall are reported.
Pict. 1: Prof. Machalińska speaking © Ulrich Maxam (Rostock)
Pict. 2: Prof. Fuchsluger speaking © U. Maxam
Prof. Iva Dekaris (Zagreb) reported about Femto Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery (FLACS) in Fuchs‘ dystrophy. Follow up for 3 months revealed that in FLACS not only phaco time and all in all surgical time, but also the loss of endohelial cells and the damage of endothelial cells were less than in cataract surgery without the use of femto second laser. Prof Dekaris recommended for daily cataract surgery: Red Flag: If endothelium is normal, FLACS is not necessary. In case of endothelial alterations due to Fuchs‘ dystrophy there is a an indication given for FLACS.
| Prof. Iva Dekaris is anterior segment surgeon in Poliklinika Bilić Vision in Zagreb (Croatia). She is specialized in cataract surgery and corneal transplantation. For two periods, 2010-2013 and 2019- 2022, she was President of the European Eye Bank Association (EEBA). |
About Glaucoma and non-IOP-related risk factors reported Prof. Ingrida Janulevičienė (Kaunas/ Lithuania). She emphasized that the systemic blood pressure should not be too low during night time*, an important message for cardiologists: both, too high and too low arterial blood pressures, might lead to impaired ocular perfusion and subsequent optic nerve damage. A recent and very important research field is the question, if the intracranial pressure (ICP, normal 8-15 mm Hg) has an influence on the development and progresssion of normal tension glaucoma (NTG). She told that in patients with NTG and simultanous low ICP a reduced neuroretinal rim of the optic disc and also a reduced blood flow in the ophthalmic artery were found, in comparison to patients with NTG but normal ICP. *Author’s notice: In another meeting at another place the threshold of 60 mm Hg diastolically was told.
| Prof. Janulevičienė is President of the Lithuanian Glaucoma Society and member of several international ophthalmological societies. The International Ophthalmologist Education Award and International Scholar Award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology were dedicated to her. Clinical research interests focus on the diagnosis and management of glaucoma, non-intraocular pressure-related risk factors and the non-invasive measurement of intracranial pressure. |
Dr. Mikk Pauklin (Tartu/Estonia) reported his First Experiences Concerning MicroPulse Transscleral Cyklophotokoagulation, Cyclo G6® Glaucoma Laser System (Iridex), MicroPulse P3® Delivery Device, 810 nm LASER: The laser treatment is performed normally in retro- or parabulbar anesthesia, all in all 35 patients were treated. 3 months after the treatment the average eye pressure was lowered from 22,7 down to 16,6 mm Hg, that means 27%. 3 months later the average eye pressure had raised again, to 21,1 mm Hg, that means nearly the preoperative level, but on average the additional administered medications could have been reduced to 1,9. The speaker estimated the reduction of additional medication and the fact, that no significant complications arose, as advantage of this surgical procedure.
| Dr. Mikk Pauklin started his research of the biology of corneal stem cells in 2004. In 2011 he defended his doctoral thesis (summa cum laude) with the title „Corneal Epithelial Stem Cells, Stem Cells Deficiency and its Therapy by Transplantation of Cultivated Limbal Epithelium“ at the medical faculty of the University Duisburg-Essen (Germany). The German Ophthalmological Society (DOG) dedicated the Doctoral Thesis Award of the Hermannn-Wacker-Fond to him. Actually Dr. Pauklin is head of the Eye Clinic of the University-Hospital Tartu and lecturer of ophthalmolgy at Tartu University. Since 2018 he is President of the Estonian Society of ophthalmology. |
Carl-Wilhelm-von-Zehender-Honorary-Lecture
The Carl-Wilhelm-von-Zehender-Honorary-Award was dedicated to Prof. Jodhbir S. Metha (Singapore). As symbol Prof. Fuchluger handed over a ship steering wheel with the engraved data of the Baltic Sea Eye Conference (pict. 3). In his lecture Clinical Problem Solving from Clinic to Bench to Population Prof.Metha described and explained – using the example of Boston Keratoprothesis – the often hard and laborious way to translate the results of research work to clinic. For the Singapore Eye Research Institute he reported the success: 159 patents, 51 licenses, 5 start ups, 11 millions Singapore $ licende revenue, more than 85 industrial collaborations.
Picture 3: After having given the honorary lecture and after the laudatory words, held by Prof. Fuchsluger, Prof. Metha (left in picture) holds the Carl-Wilhelm-von-Zehender-Award in his hands, a ship steering wheel with the engraved data of the Baltic Sea Eye Conference. © U. Maxam
| Prof. Jodhbir S. Metha is Executive Director of Singapore Eye Research Institute and Senior Consultant in Corneal and External Eye Disease Service and Refractive Service, Singapore National Eye Center. He is head of the Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, Prof. Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School. Clinically he is mainly involved in corneal transplantation, reconstruction of the anterior segment and refractive surgery. His research includes cell/gene based therapies and corneal tissue engineering. |
Baltic Sea Eye Award
Dr. Eleni Voukali (Prague) got this award for the best lecture at Young Investigator / Clinician Scientist Symposium (pcts. 4, 5): Comparison of Angiogenic Factor Gene Expression Between Limbal Corneal and Oral Mucosa Epithelial Cells. Bilateral limbal stem cell damage (LSCD) can be treated efficiently by transplantation of autologous epithelium from oral mucosa (OMEC, oral mucosa epihelium cells). However, this procedure is associated with more neovascularisation than the transplantation of autologous corneal stem cells. Dr. Voukali and her colleagues explored the gene expression levels of preselected factors regulating vascularisation in cultured limbal (RIMs) versus cultured oral mucosal (OMs) epithelial cells. They found that pro-inflammatory factors are mostly present in cultured OMs compared to RIMs. Regarding the vascularisation factors, RIMs and OMs in culture exhibited different profiles.
| Dr. Eleni Voukali works as post-doc researcher in the team of Prof. Kateřina Jirsová in the laboratory for eye biology and pathology, Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Czech Republic (Prague). |
Pict. 4: Baltic Sea Eye Award (from left to right): Dr. Peter Trošan*, Frederike Knipp, MSc*, Dr. Eleni Voukali holds the award in her hands, a marine set with telescope, compass and sextant, Dr. rer. hum. Susanne Stählke*, Prof. Fuchsluger* © U. Maxam *University Eye Clinic Rostock
Prof. Kateřina Jirsová (Prague) presented the results of her research team. The Cultivation of Oral Mucosal Epithelial Cells for Consequent Clinical Use. Limbal stem cell deficiency is an ocular pathology, wherein the destruction or dysfunction of limbal epithelial stem cells results in improper corneal regeneration and consequently loss of vision. Our long-term aim is to start with the clinical treatment of this disease, during which the stem cells need to be replaced. If both eyes are affected, here is a lack of an autologous source of ocular cells, however oral mucosa can serve as a source of stem cells for culture. The oral mucosal epithelial cells (OMECs) were cultured on fibrin (which is proper substrate for grafting) in two different media, in a standard complex medium, compared with a safer xenobiotic-free (XF) medium. Than the cell growth, differentiation and stemness were determined by protein and gene expression. Although a smaller percentage of stemcells was found in the XF group, the XF medium could be a good candidate for OMECs cultivation for grafting. The study was supported by the Norway Grants and Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, KAPPA project No. TO01000099.
Pict. 5 (from left to right): Prof. Kateřina Jirsová, Dr. Peter Trošan, Dr. Eleni Voukali, © Prof. Jirsová
| Prof. Kateřina Jirsová is head of a team in the Laboratory of Biology and Pathology of the Eye of the Department of Biology and Medical Genetics of the First Faculty of Medicine Charles‘ University (Prague). The team is engaged with basic as well as applied research in the biology and pathology of the eye and tissues related to transplantation |
Outlook: The 4th German-Polish Winter Academy will take place on Saturday, November 30th, 09.00 a.m. – 05.00 p.m this year, traditionally in the Aula of the Old Rostock University. The 7th Baltic Sea Eye Conference will be performed traditionally in the University Eye-Clinic in Rostock (Eye Surgery Masterclass, Dry- & Wetlab) on Friday, May 4th, and in the Kurhaus in Warnemünde (International Rostock Beach Academy and Young Investigator / Clinician-Scientist Symposium), on Saturday, May 5th 2025. The 74th annual Meeting of the Assembly of the Ophthalmologists of North Germany will be hold in Rostock-Warnemünde on Friday, June 20th and Saturday, June 21st 2025 (www.norddeutsche-augenaerzte.de).
Contact: e-mail: Udo.Hennighausen@web.de
