by Nima Ghadiri
On Wednesday, 22 March, I had the pleasure of organising the programme for MOSUK’s 2023 London conference at the wonderful Governors' Hall, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, with the great support of our fantastic administrator Lindy Gee and current MOSUK President and host, Greg Heath. The event was an excellent opportunity for professionals within the field to come together, exchange knowledge, discuss best practices, and learn from one another.
I began with a short lecture that provided a historical perspective on the millennia-old relationship between systemic disease and the eye, starting from the Ebers Papyrus and the Eye of Horus. This was followed by a symposium on orbital inflammation, which featured presentations by renowned rheumatologist Professor David D'Cruz, and orbital surgeons Susie Morley and John Bladen. Their excellent lectures covered the complex topic of IgG4 disease, thyroid eye disease, and challenging orbital cases.
The annual guest lecture was delivered by Professor Omar Mahroo, who took the attendees on a journey detailing the fascinating relationship between genetics and eye disease, including some cutting-edge work which is being led by the London teams.
The afternoon symposium focused on Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid, a rare autoimmune disease, from both an ocular and systemic perspective. Professors Jane Setterfield and John Dart delivered insightful presentations on the topic, further deepening the attendees' understanding of this challenging disease.
The conference concluded with a free paper competition, which provided an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to present their findings to their peers. Congratulations to the winner, medical ophthalmology trainee Shivaa Ramsewak, and the runner-up, ophthalmology trainee Li Yen Goh, for their excellent work.
Conferences like these are vital to our globally unique field of ophthalmic medicine, as they allow us to come together and share knowledge that can improve the care we provide to our patients. Overall, it was a fantastic day, and I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the speakers, delegates, and sponsors who made the event possible. And in particular, I would like to express my gratitude to Lindy Gee for her invaluable support.
