The Gems You’ll Find at OIS@AAO 2018

The Gems You’ll Find at OIS@AAO 2018

Diamonds are emerging as the new 10th anniversary gift. Here’s a look at a few of gems you can mine at the 10th OIS@AAO in two Thursdays, on October 25, at the Marriott Marquis in Chicago a day before the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting gets underway.

Breakfast Breakout Sessions. This year’s seven breakfast sessions include a discussion on the evolution of the dry eye market, an update on the popular topic of minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS), innovative approaches to treating presbyopia, a session on recent and upcoming highlights in retina, and a look at how to capitalize on new concepts. Again this year there are two information sessions regarding the Food and Drug Administration: Malvina Eydelman, MD, director of the Division of Ophthalmic, Neurological and Ear, Nose and Throat Devices, will talk about factors affecting performance and efficiency of device approvals; and Wiley Chambers, MD, deputy director, Division of Transplant and Ophthalmology Products, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, will tell us what’s new at the FDA.

Welcome and Chairman’s 2018 Year in Review. Following the breakouts, the remainder of the day will be kicked off by OIS co-chairman Emmett T. Cunningham, Jr., MD, PhD, MPH, who’s also managing director of Clarus Funds. He will welcome the attendees and look back at sector highlights from the past year. “This, our 10th year at AAO, marks a great achievement for OIS and its many loyal attendees,” says Dr. Cunningham. “We’ve witnessed so much innovation and advancement in the field. Let’s hope for 10 more years even better than the last.”

Research to Prevent Blindness Scientific Showcase. Following the opening talk will be a session introduced by Brian F. Hofland, PhD, president of Research to Prevent Blindness, a charitable, non-profit organization that funds academic early-stage eye research.

Company Showcases. As always, there will be plenty of company showcases for industry executives to present their recent highlights and ongoing activity. Three sessions before the lunch break and a Public Company Showcase in the afternoon will provide plenty of opportunities for attendees to learn more about some of the leading companies in the field.

A View from AAO. Following the networking lunch, David W. Parke, II, MD, CEO of the AAO, will comment on innovation in ophthalmology from the AAO perspective.

Building a Strong Ophthalmology Pipeline Through Strategic Acquisitions and Internal Innovation. Co-chairman William J. Link, PhD, managing director of Versant Ventures, will moderate a panel discussion with several experts in this area, including representatives from Alcon, Shire, Johnson & Johnson, Regeneron, Santen, Allergan, and Novartis. “Corporate leaders must engage in internal and external innovation to fuel growth and remain competitive,” says Dr. Link. “We will gain insights from both pharma and device companies in the ophthalmic sector as to how they achieve that balance.”

Rise of Artificial Intelligence and Analytics in Ophthalmology. Artificial intelligence (AI) is making a lot of progress in ophthalmology. This session will include a market overview and presentations from related companies, followed by a panel discussion moderated by co-chairman Gilbert H. Kliman, MD, managing director of InterWest Partners. “I am excited to moderate this novel session on AI, where we will highlight the advances coming from the IT world into the ophthalmology space,” says Dr. Kliman. “We’ve come a long way since I moderated the first ‘Digital Ophthalmology’ session at OIS@AAO 2012.”

After a networking break, Andrew Gitkin of Piper Jaffray will present a funding overview, and Michael Lachman of EyeQ Research will give an update on the OIS Index.

Masters of the Industry. Jim Mazzo, global president ophthalmic devices, Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, will moderate the last session of the day – the always lively Masters of the Industry session. This year’s participants include:

The day will finish with closing remarks, which will be followed by a networking reception.

For questions about this article, please contact Steve Lenier at Steve@stevelenier.com.