MBBS (KSA), DES-OPH (PARIS), DISSO (SWISS), FEBO (PARIS).
Current Appointments:
Abdullah AlQahtani is assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, surgical Retina and Ocular Oncology in King Saud bin Abdul-Aziz university for health science he is also head of Ophthalmology in King Abdul-Aziz medical city-Jeddah.

Education and Training:

Ass/Prof AlQahtani Having obtained his MBBS from King Faisal University, received his ophthalmology training in Paris University (2006-2010) and was institute Curie (Paris) fellow for Ocular Oncology (2011). He is also St-Augustinus hospital (Antwerp) fellow for Surgical Retina (2012).
He has publications and many invited lectures on worldwide.
He was Chosen to represent the kingdom in Arabic physics exam.
Ass/Prof AlQahtani is Ophthalmology board –Jeddah examiner He also obtained the prince Fahad bin Sultan award in scientific Excellency.
Planning committee member of the Retina World Congress.
Chair of Organization and Retina committee in RED SEA Symposium.

Research Interests:

Ass/Prof ALQahtani current research interests include retina and cataract surgical trials, ocular oncology and Uveitis. He is an investigator in King Abdullah international medical research center.

Ahmed H. Assaf is a professor of Ophthalmology in the faculty of medicine, Ain Shams University, a fellow of the royal college of surgeons of Edinburgh and a consultant of phacorefractive surgery in Al-Watany eye hospital in Cairo. Cataract surgery with premium IOLs is his primary focus, together with the implementation of Femtosecond laser technology, which consists of about 30% of his total annual volume of cataract surgery. He awarded the best paper of session about his study of femtosecond laser cataract surgery in different nuclear density during ASCRS 2017. He started to implant presbyopia-correcting IOLs since 2002 and has substantial experience in various designs of multifocal, new trifocal, and extended depth of focus IOLs. He participated in the pre-launch visual outcome study of AcrySof IQ ReSTOR multifocal toric IOL and presented his results during ESCRS annual meeting in Paris, 2010. He has a particular interest in complicated cataract surgery with intra-scleral haptic fixation (ISHF), together with iris repair and different techniques of pupilloplasty.

Work History:

• January 2014 to current: Professor at Ain Shams University, Cairo
• February 2020 to current: Owner of Assaf Clinic For Eye And Lasik Cairo, Nasr City
• January 2010 to Current: Phaco-refractive Consultant and Shareholder at Al-Watany Eye Hospital Cairo, Heliopolis
• April 2007 to January 2014: Assistant Professor at Ain Shams University Cairo, Abbassia
• April 2002 to April 2007: Lecturer of Ophthalmology at Ain Shams University Cairo, Abbassia
• March 1998 to April 2002: Assistant Lecturer of Ophthalmology at Ain Shams University Cairo, Abbassia
• February 1997 to March 1998: Registrar of Ophthalmology , Ain Shams University Cairo, Abbassia
• June 1994 to February 1997: Resident of Ophthalmology, Ain Shams University Cairo, Abbassia

Teaching activities:

• Developed and implemented curriculum using academic learning strategies and educational pedagogy
• Taught 300+ undergraduate classes per year in ophthalmology department, Ain Shams University.
• Supervised 50+ master and doctorate degrees thesis in Ophthalmology from 2002 till now.

Affiliations:

• Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCSEd)
• Member of American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
• Member of American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS)
• Member of International Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ISRS)
• Member of European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ESCRS)
• Member of the council of the International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS)
• Board Member of Egyptian Society of Ocular Implants and Refractive Surgery (ESOIRS)

Certifications:

• Achievement Award – American Academy of Ophthalmology 2017 (AAO)
• Recognition Award -International Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery 2017 (ISRS)
• International Ophthalmologist Recognition Award – American Academy of Ophthalmology 2019 (AAO)

Publications:

• Eleven peer-reviewed publications in Eye, Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (JCRS) and others. and several articles in Ocular Surgery News (OSN), Cataract and Refractive Surgery Today (CRST), and Eurotimes journals.
• Reviewer at Journal of Refractive Surgery (JRS)

Surgical Skills:

• Complicated cataract surgery with different techniques of
  IOL fixation without capsular support (a total of 250+ of Yamane, Glued, and Iirissuture IOL fixation procedures).
• Premiums IOLs including presbyopia-correcting and toric IOLs (400+ per year)
• Phaco-emulsification; 1200+ per year, 30% of which include premium IOLs (presbyopia correcting and toric IOLs)
• Lasik, PRK, and femtosmile; 450+ per year.
• Femtosecond laser technology in refractive and cataract surgery (800+ since 2014).
• Topography-guided laser ablation in virgin cornea (Contoura) and early keratoconus and post lasik ectasia (800+ per year).

International Conference Participations:

More than 70 participations by free papers, videos, and posters in international conferences as ESCRS, ASCRS, ASCRS, AAO, WOC, AECOS)
Industry consultancy & advisory board:

• PhysIOL
• Zeiss
• J&J

Dr. Ahmed Awadein, MD, FRCS is a Professor of Ophthalmology at Cairo University.

He received his doctorate degree from Cairo University in 2003 and his fellowship degree from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in 2004. He acquired clinical fellowship training in Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland, USA in 2006, where he received an intensive medical and surgical hands-on training in the field of pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus.

Dr. Ahmed Awadein is specialized in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus and has performed over 10000 strabismus operations to date, including complex and recurrent cases. He has over 35 international publications in the field of pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus and has developed a computerized test to assist in the evaluation of patients with diplopia. He also participated as an instructor in various national and international conferences.

Ahmed Mostafa Abdelrahman, MD, FRCSED. A professor of Ophthalmology, Cairo University, since 2009 till present. In 2015, he achieved the Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Total Quality Management (TQM) for Healthcare Reform. He is the founder and president of the Egyptian Society for Continuous Ophthalmic Education, (EGSCOE on telegram & Website: egscoe.info). He is a glaucoma consultant with national and international publications and innovations in the field of glaucoma surgery. He is a glaucoma reviewer for a number of PubMed prestigious Ophthalmology. He is the owner of the Giza specialized Eye center (http://www.gizaeyecenter.com) with the Glaucoma Management and Education center being part of it. 2016, the Royal College of Edinburgh council appointed him to be an examiner in the college exams. He received the Education Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2019.

Dr. Albakri is a pediatric ophthalmologist, did her residency and pediatric ophthalmology fellowship at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, after her fellowship she joined the pediatric ophthalmology department in KKESH as a consultant for the last 6 years.

She has a special interest in ocular genetics, did one year of Ocular Genetic fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital.

She was a member of KKESH institutional Training Committee supervising the teaching and training of residents and fellows in the Pediatric Ophthalmology department

Published several papers and presented at different national and international meetings.

Dr Andrea Leonardi is Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the Department of Neuroscience, University of Padua, Padua, Italy. He is also Director of the Ocular Surface and Allergy Outpatient Service and the Ocular Immunology Laboratory at the Ophthalmology Unit within the University of Padua Hospital, Padua, Italy.

His clinical and research interests include ocular allergy, dry eye, uveitis and ocular immunology. He is particularly interested in the immunopathogenesis of ocular allergy and vernal keratoconjunctivitis, tear proteomics and sequencing, inflammatory mediators, tissue remodelling and fibroblast behaviour.
Dr Leonardi is also Project Director for the development of new cold plasma technology, involving the treatment of ocular surface infection, in conjunction with the Nuclear Physics Institute and the Consorzio RFX of the University of Padua.

He collaborates with several universities and institutions across Europe and the USA. He is currently President of the Italian Society for Uveitis and Ocular Inflammatory Disease (SIUMIO) and was previously Chairman of the Interest Group in Ocular Allergy of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI).

Dr Leonardi has extensive experience as a peer reviewer and guest editor with numerous international journals and as principal investigator of several clinical trials. He has authored more than 130 publications in peer-reviewed journals and several chapters in academic books.

TERTIARY EDUCATION:

1) MB.ChB. (University of Pretoria, 1985)

2) M.Med. (Ophthalmology) (Cum Laude), University of Pretoria, 1994.

3) FCS (SA) (Ophthalmology) – SA College of Surgeons, October 1994.

4) FRCSEd (Ophthalmology) – Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, 1995.

5) RCO Laser Refractive Certificate. March 2009.

6) Physician CEO, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. 2017.

EMPLOYMENT:

Consultant Eye Surgeon and Medical Director, Wellington Eye Clinic; Consultant Ophthalmologist and Head of the Department of Ophthalmology at The Beacon Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES:

1) CONGRESS ATTENDANCE:

Attended more than 300 international congresses since 1991.

2) COURSES ATTENDED:

Attended 43 courses since qualifying in 1995.

3) PAPERS PRESENTED

Presented more than 400 papers at international meetings and congresses.

4) COURSES PRESENTED:

Presented more than 100 instructional courses on advanced laser surgery, corneal cross-linking and cataract surgery and IOL power topics.

5) PUBLICATIONS:

More than 100 Publications in peer review and trade journals.

I am a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology. My clinical activity takes place at local NHS Trust and is mainly dedicated to people with glaucoma. I have surgical expertise on complex glaucomas and cataract.

With my academic career at the Centre of Public Health (Health Services Research Group) we are trying to improve eye health by investigating the effectiveness, safety and efficiency of new technologies for eye diseases (e.g., treatments, diagnostic tests, models of eye care). I have expertise in primary and secondary research methodology.

Overall I have received as CI or co-applicant over £15m of research funds from MRC, NIHR-EME, NIHR-HTA, Horizon 2020, and Wellcome Trust.

I am Chief Investigator of several large publicly funded trials, including:
– EAGLE, an international multicentre RCT comparing primary lens extraction versus laser iridotomy in patients with angle-closure glaucoma (completed); the main report of this study was published in The Lancet in 2016, and was ranked by the American Glaucoma Society #12 in the top 100 list of papers “with significant impact on the clinical care of patients with glaucoma”: (Vinod K, et al. The American Glaucoma Society 100: Articles with Significant Impact on Clinical Glaucoma Care. Ophthalmol Glaucoma. 2022;5:5-15)
– GATE, a multicentre study evaluating automated imaging technologies for glaucoma diagnosis (completed);
– CHAMP-UK, a multicentre randomised trial evaluating low dose atropine eye drops for children with myopia (ongoing);
– GRIP, a multicentre cohort study using electronic medical records to validate and refine a risk predictor for ocular hypertension conversion to glaucoma (ongoing).
– ACE, a multicentre study evaluating technologies for the diagnosis of angle closure (ongoing)

I am co-Chief Investigator of the In-home Tracking of glaucoma (i-TRAC) study (ongoing).

I am member of the research team and co-applicant of several publicly funded multicentre trials:
– CLEVER, ENGINE, STABLE and ZEAL: a suite of trials exploring the impact of vision care in low and middle-income countries, led by Prof Nathan Congdon (ongoing)
– TAGS and GLAURIOUS, on glaucoma (completed)
– DIAMONDS and EMERALD, on diabetic retinopathy (completed)
– EDNA and MIRROR, on age-related macular degeneration (completed)

I have published over 250 peer-reviewed papers, over 20 book chapters, and edited three books. My work has been cited over 8000 times and my current Scopus h-index is 45.

Leadership positions:
– chair of the Scientific Committee of the European Glaucoma Society (from January 2021);
– lead Editor of the European Glaucoma Society Guidelines (5th edition, 2020);
– chair of the UK NIHR CRN Clinical Study Group for glaucoma (from 2020);
– member of the UK NIHR-HTA prioritization committee (from 2019);
– member of the Development Group for the WHO Package of Glaucoma Interventions (from 2020);
– 2012 Chair of the UK & Eire Glaucoma Society;
– member of the Editorial Board of several specialist journals, including Cochrane Eye and Vision, and Journal of Glaucoma.

Special honours:
– American Academy of Ophthalmology achievement award (2008);
– King James IV Professorship by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (2020);
– American Academy of Ophthalmology Secretariat Award (2020)

Prof. Boris Malyugin is a world-renowned expert in the field of cataract and implants surgery, practicing at the S. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery State Institution in Moscow, Russia. He is the current President of the Russian Ophthalmology Society. Dr. Malyugin has made significant contributions to ophthalmology. He is well known for his development of the Malyugin Ring, the device facilitating cataract surgery in patients with small pupils and IFIS. Other innovations include numerous surgical techniques, several microsurgical instruments, modified CTRs, IOLs, etc. Dr. Malyugin has multiple international recognitions, including the Binkhorst Awards from both the ASCRS and ESCRS, Kritzinger Award from ISRS, Kelman Award from BRASCRS, and Pierce Award from UKISCRS. He was invited to present guest lectures and participate in live surgery sessions at numerous national and supranational meetings. He is a member of International Intraocular Implant Club and Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis, ICO Advisory Boards member. Dr. Malyugin is a Chief Medical Editor of two major Russian Ophthalmic journals and serves as an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, as well as some other national and international ophthalmic journals.

Bruce Allan qualified in medicine from Cambridge in 1985, and was appointed as a Consultant Surgeon at Moorfields in 1998 after advanced specialist training in the UK, South Africa, and Australia. He was Training Director for the Corneal Service at Moorfields for over 10 years, and Service Director for Refractive Surgery from 2012 to 2019. He is currently chairing the Royal College of Ophthalmologists Refractive Surgery Standards Working Group and is an ESCRS and EU Cornea board member.

He and his wife, Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Maria Teresa Casasus Borrell, live in North London with their three daughters. He is a keen football fan and sailor.

Professional activities include:

• NHS practice specialising in cataract and corneal surgery
• Private practice specialising in refractive surgery (laser vision correction, ICL implantation, RLE, restoring near vision)
• Regular presentations at international research meetings, press, radio and television comment on developments in corneal transplantation, cataract and refractive surgery
• Peer review for international medical journals and research grant funding bodies
• Specialist advice for NICE and MHRA

Current research interests include:

• Enhancing treatment accuracy in laser vision correction
• Laser assisted corneal transplantation
• Early intervention and visual rehabilitation in keratoconus

Dr. Claes was born and educated in Belgium. He completed fellowships in vitreoretinal surgery at Harvard Medical School and the Retina Foundation in Boston as well as at the Eye Hospital Rotterdam, where he worked under the supervision of Dr. Relja Zivojnovic, a pioneer in vitreoretinal surgery. In 1989, Dr. Claes established a new vitreoretina I department at Middelheim Hospital, treating hundreds of patients, referred from all over Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and beyond. During this time, he worked closely with Dr. Zivojnovic. In 1997, Dr. Claes became the head of Vitreoretinal Department at AZ Middelheim, a position he held until 2005 when he moved to St. Augustinus Hospital to start a new vitreoretinal department. There he continued to operate and treat international patients with advanced diseases. He is currently the head of this department. Dr. Claes is the founder and organizer of the Advanced Vitreoretinal Course, held every 2 years in Antwerp and hosting up to 300 participants from over 30 different countries. Numerous fellows and observers have been trained in his department. Dr. Claes has presented over 400 guest lectures in conferences on five continents. He has performed live surgery demonstrations during ophthalmology meetings and has written book chapters and published numerous articles in scientific journals. Currently, he is a reviewer for the Retina Journal. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Club Jules Gonin, the European Vitreoretinal Society, the European Retina Society and Socidte Beige d’Ophtalmologie. He is part of the Advisory Board of the Schepens International Society and the faculty at the European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology in Lugano, Switzerland. In collaboration with various medical manufacturers, he has devised many new surgical instruments, equipment, and techniques, contributing to the development of modern vitreoretinal surgery. For this work, he has received many internationals awards, such as the Belgische Selectie Award (1985), an American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award (2001), the Junior Honor Award at the Greek Vitreo-Retina I Society (2010), and the Nataraja Pillai Oration Award (2011). Dr. Claes practises in Antwerp and has an international reputation for surgery of complicated retinal detachments, trauma, retinopathy of prematurity, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, macular translocations, pigment epithelial transplantations, and pediatric cases. He performs 1000 surgical interventions a year with over 50% of his patients coming from abroad.

Doctor Carlos Mateo was born in Barcelona (1958).

Present Academic rank : Associate professor of Ophthalmology in the Master of Vitreoretinal Surgery at IMO (Autonoma University of Barcelona )
Founder and Consultant at the Vitreoretinal department of the Instituto de Microcirugia Ocular de Barcelona (IMO).
Graduate on medical School : University of Barcelona 1975-1981
Ophthalmologist certification :1985 Autonoma University of Barcelona

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND ACADEMIC CAREER:

Hospital Clinic I Provincial De Barcelona
Ciudad Sanitaria Valle Hebron, Resident At The Autonoma University Of Barcelona.
Vitreoretinal Consultant Of Servei D’oftalmologia De “L’hospital General De Catalunya” (1987 – 1991)
Vitreoretinal Surgeon Of Servei D’oftalmologia Del Hopital General De Velld’hebró (1988 – 1997)
Member Of “Centre Retina Y Vitreo De Barcelona” (1991 – 1994)
Coordinator Of “Fundation Sardá Farriol De Barcelona” Vitreoretinal Surgery Department( 1994 – 2000)
Founding Member of “Institut Microcirurgía Ocular De Barcelona” untill now

Heads the Cataract and Glaucoma departments at Megur Eye Care Centre, Bidar Karnataka India.

Specialises in Complex Cataract Surgeries. He is committed to teaching surgery through his personal Youtube Channel.

He has more than 200 presentations at various national and international meetings. He is a reviewer for the Indian Journal Of Ophthalmology. He has won many national & international awards for scientific Papers and Videos.

Deepak P Edward, M.D. FACS, FARVO. is Vice-Chair, Education, Professor of Ophthalmology and Pathology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.

Dr. Edward is glaucoma specialist who maintains a busy clinical and surgical schedule for the treatment of advanced and complex glaucoma. He has a wide range of research interests in the fields of glaucoma, ophthalmic education, ophthalmic pathology, biomarkers, cell biology and proteomics. He has over 250 publications and has edited a textbook on glaucoma. He an active member of the American Academy of ophthalmology and received the Senior Achievement Award, and a member of the American Glaucoma Society. Dr Edward is an innovative educator and has been awarded several teaching awards during his career including a Lifetime teaching award at the University of Illinois.

Dr Edward has memberships in several professional societies including AAO, AGS, Verhoeff-Zimmerman Society, and the American Ophthalmological Society.

Dina Hossam Hassanein, MD , FRCS

Dr. Dina H. Hassanein was born in Cairo, Egypt and is a graduate of the German school (DEO). She obtained her medical degree at Cairo University school of medicine, where she had her full time 3 year residency and continued on to get her master’s and MD degree. She completed her training with pediatric Ophthalmology at Cairo University Pediatric Hospital (Abulreesh) for another 3 years. She is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Glasgow) and an assistant Professor of Ophthalmology in Cairo University.

Dr. Hassanein has fifteen years’ experience in Ophthalmology and ophthalmic surgery, with special interest in strabismus, congenital cataract, anterior segment surgery, retinopathy of prematurity and retinoblastoma. She is a founding and a board member of the Egyptian Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (EAPOS).

Dr. Hassanein resides in Cairo, Egypt with her husband, and enjoys life with her two daughters. She enjoys travel, playing the piano and working out. She is fluent in Arabic, English and German.

DR Elrayes is Professor and chairman of department of Ophthalmology at Institute of Ophthalmology in Cairo. He received his medical degree with honor from Ein Shams University. He completed his Ophthalmology training and residency in Cairo University hospital. Dr Elrayes had his master degree in Ophthalmology from Cairo University after which he joined the Associated Retinal Consultants with its great faculty in Royal Oak Michigan for his vitreoretinal fellowship in1993. He also had a year of research fellowship in Research Eye Institute, Oakland University, Rochester Michigan, U.S.A 1994. He received his Ph.D. degree in 1997.

Dr Elrayes is on faculty in the Institute of Ophthalmology in Cairo, joining and participating as primary investigator in clinical trials nationally and internationally, with special interest in diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment and pediatric retinal surgery. Serves as a vitreoretinal surgeon in the Retina service In the eye institute hospital, International Eye Hospital . He is an innovator of the 23 g fragmatome as well as the innovator of the suprachoroidal surgical techniques and product line. He is a founder of the Arab African Society of Retina Specialists (AASRS), Member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO),Member of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO),Member of the European Vitreo Retina Society (EVRS),Member of the American society of Retina Specialists (ASRS),Member of the Egyptian Ophthalmological Society, Member of the Club Vit.,Member of the Pan Arab, African Ophthalmological Council. He is a board member of the international affair committee of the American society of retina specialists ,and the liaison leader for the serving Africa and middle east. He received Amin El Maghraby award: Egyptian Ophthalmologic Society Meeting 2001. International education award: American Academy of Ophthalmology 2010. International scholar award: American Academy of Ophthalmology. Honor Award: American Society of Retina specialist 2011 and the Senior Honor Award: American Society of Retina specialist 2014:American Academy of Ophthalmology achievement award 2015. Fellow of the American Society of Retina Specialists 2021.

As of today Dr Elrayes is a professor in the institute of Ophthalmology ,Chairman of the Retina Department , sharing with his colleges teaching and fellow training , publications ,journal reviews , Book chapters and executive committee for a number educational and research committees.

Qualifications;

1988 Retina and vitreous fellowship granted after having completed two years of clinical training at the University of Ottawa, School of Medicine, Canada. 1981 Ophthalmology degree granted after fulfilling four years of residency requirements at Rome University (La Sapienza), School of Medicine, Italy. 1976 Medical Degree, Rome University (La Sapienza), Italy.

Professional Experience;

1992- present : Private practice at the Jordan Hospital acting as Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology. The department is well known in dealing with complicated vitreoretinal surgeries. Head of the examination committee for ophthalmology at the Jordan Medical Council. Before 1992, served in the public sector at King Hussein Medical Sector, Al Basheer Hospital and Jordan University Hospital. Trained several regional doctors in the field of Retina and Vitreous Surgery. Board member of Middle East Africa Vitreo-Retinal Society (MEAVRS). Several original publications in the field of retina and vitreous. Invited speaker in the field of retina and vitreous locally, regionally and internationally. Organizer of local, regional and international retina meetings. Part of the clinical R&D team in the development of new technology in retina and vitreous surgery. Member of the Jordanian Senate health and environment committee since 2016.

Education:
1983: Medical Bachelor M.B.B.CH, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University.
1988: Master Degree (M. Sc.) in Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University..
1992: Doctorate of Medicine (M.D.) in Ophthalmology, Cairo University.
1996: Fellowship of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, McGill University.

Positions Held:
Present Position: Professor of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University.
Director of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Children’s Hospital
1998 – 2003: Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University.
1993 – 1998: Lecturer of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University.
1990 – 1993: Assistant Lecturer of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University.
1985 – 1988: Resident in Ophthalmic section at Cairo University Hospital.
1984 – 1985: Internship.

Society Memberships:
– American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
-International Strabismus Association
– Middle East African Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO).
– Egyptian Ophthalmology Society (EOS).
– Egyptian Society of Cataract and Corneal Diseases.
– Egyptian Pediatric Ophthalmology group

NATIONAL MEDICAL DEGREES:

• MD Ophthalmology – Cairo University

INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL DEGREES:

• Fellow Johns Hopkins, USA

HOSPITAL APPOINTMENTS:

• International Eye Hospital
• El Hayat Hospital

INTERNATIONAL TRAINING:

• Fellow Johns Hopkins,– Retinal surgery, USA
• Ocular oncology – ESSEN Germany

Graduated from Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University in December 1977, signed up excellent with honor

House officer at Cairo University Hospitals from March 1, 1978 to February 28, 1979

Resident at Cairo University Hospitals from March 18, 1979 to September 9, 1981

Master degree of Ophthalmology in May 1981, signed up excellent Clinical demonstrator, Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University from September 20, 1981 to December 27, 1981

Assistant lecturer, the department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University from December 28, 1981 to August 6, 1985

MD. of Ophthalmology in May 1985

Lecturer, Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, From August 7, 1985 to September 18, 1990

Retina Fellow, Department of Ophthalmology, Illinois University, under supervision of Professor Dr. Gholam Peyman, 1986 & 1987

Assistant Professor, the Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University from September 19, 1990 to November 29, 1995

Professor, the Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, from November 30, 1995 till present Senior Consultant, Vitreoretinal Surgery

QUALIFICATIONS:
-M.B.CH.B. / College of medicine, Babylon University, 1999
-F.I.B.M.S, Follow of Iraqi Board of Medical specializations, 2006.

Positions:
-Ophthalmology Lecturer- Babylon Medical College 2007
-Ophthalmology Lecturer –Mustansyria Medical College 2009 and still.
-Ophthalmology specialist – Ibn El-Haithem Teaching eye Hospital (2007 to 2011).
-Ophthalmology specialist Al-Yarmook teaching Hospital 2010 – 2016
-Member of the Consultation Committee / Ministry of health 2012.

-Joined Magrabi Eye & Ear Hospital in Saudi Arabia back in 2001 and worked in several Magrabi Eye Centers such as Al Ahsa, Al-Khobar and Jeddah.

-Currently the Vitreo-retinal Consultant and Head of Retina Unit in Magrabi Eye Hospital in Jeddah since 2008, one of the highest volume places for ophthalmology in the region.

-Performed more than 6,000 vitreo-retinal surgeries over the past 20 years apart from numerous phacoemulsification surgeries with different types of IOLs and intravitreal injections.

-Trained more than 6 fellows in Vitreo-retina, who later became independent and successful Retinal Surgeons.

-Participated among other eminent Retina Specialists in putting together Saudi Arabia Guidelines for Diabetic Macular Edema: Consensus of Saudi Retina Society.

-Actively participated and presented in many international conferences like EVRS (European Vetro Retinal Society), Euretina, RSOS (Red sea Ophthalmology Symposium), MEACO (Middle East African Council of Ophthalmology), MIC (Magrabi International Congress) and others.

-Attended several lectures, courses, conferences locally and internationally such as AAO, (the American Academy of Ophthalmology), ASRS (American Society of Retina Specialists), World Ophthalmology Congress, Frankfurt Retina Meeting and many others.

-Doctorate Degree in Ophthalmology, Ain Shams University, Egypt, 2008

-Fellowship of Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Glasgow, U.K. 2003

Dr. Ahmed has become world renowned for his skills and groundbreaking work in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of highly complex eye diseases including glaucoma and surgical complications. He is recognized as being one of the most experienced complex eye surgeons in the world and has trained numerous surgeons in innovative surgical techniques.

Furthermore, he has been at the leading edge of novel treatments for glaucoma, cataract and lens implant surgery. Patients are referred to him locally, nationally, and from around the world. He has been invited to perform surgery in 4 continents across the globe.

Dr. Ahmed has a keen interest in the development of advanced microsurgical devices and techniques in glaucoma surgery and complicated cataract extraction, and is actively involved in research and medical education at a national and international level. He has received research grants to study glaucoma medications, glaucoma laser and surgical devices/techniques, angle closure glaucoma, anterior segment and retinal/optic nerve imaging in glaucoma, cataract surgical techniques and devices, and intraocular lens designs.

Dr. Ahmed has designed innovative glaucoma diamond scalpels for surgery, microsurgical instrumentation, and devices, implants, and techniques for the management of the dislocated cataract, iris reconstruction, and glaucoma implant devices. He has done pioneering work in innovative glaucoma surgery, developing and coining the term “Micro-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS)” as a new genre of surgical approaches and devices. He also performed the first laser cataract surgery in Canada. As a result of his innovative expertise, Dr. Ahmed has been asked to consult for a variety of companies and manufacturers, especially pertaining to the development of new devices and technologies.

Jamal H. Bleik is currently Professor of Ophthalmology at the Lebanese University and Clinical Professor of ophthalmology at the Lebanese American University Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. Dr. Bleik was recently named Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Ophthalmology at the LAU School of Medicine, and is currently the head of Ophthalmology at the Lebanese University School of Medicine.
Dr. Bleik is Chairman of the Arab Board of Ophthalmology (2011-2019), President of the Lebanese Ophthalmological Society (2013-2015), and the secretary general of MEAPOSS, the Middle East and Africa Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Society. Dr Bleik also served as the interim chairman of the Ophthalmology department at the Lebanese American University School of Medicine for 2 years (2016 and 2017). He is also a member of the editorial board of the Lebanese Medical Journal, the official publication of the Lebanese Order of Physicians.
Dr. Bleik obtained his medical degree with honors from the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University. He then earned an MSc degree in Ophthalmic Medicine and Surgery with honors while having his residency training in Kasr El Aini University hospitals, followed by the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and the Fellowship of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in London. He then travelled to the USA where he pursued his studies in ophthalmology, where he earned a Fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus from the Cullen Eye Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, and a Fellowship in Ophthalmic Genetics from the Wilmer Eye Institute, the Johns Hopkins Centre for Hereditary Eye Diseases, Baltimore, Maryland.
Dr Bleik has 18 published articles in peer reviewed MEDLINE indexed journals. His most recent work has been published in the journal of AAPOS on IOL implantation in children. He has more than 50 participations in local, regional, and international scientific meetings, and has been awarded six awards for his research and presentations. He has vast medical and surgical experience in Comprehensive Ophthalmology and in the field of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, and is invited to share his experience in several Arab countries on regular basis. On an international level, Dr Bleik has been appointed recently on the advisory board of IPOSC, the international pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus council during its first founding meeting in Singapore, and is an invited coordinator of the pediatric ophthalmology scientific activities in the World Ophthalmology Congress 2012 in Abu Dhabi, WOC 2014 in Tokyo, and WOC 2016 in Mexico. He is the regional convener for the Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus program for MEACO 2016 in Bahrain.

Head of the Corneal Service Singapore National Eye Center (SNEC). Head of the Tissue Engineering and Stem Cell Group at the Singapore Eye Research Institute and Professor with DUKE-NUS GMS. Named Professor of Clinical Innovation at SNEC/SERI. Director of Education, Singhealth Transplant and Deputy Executive Director at SERI. He has trained 22 international fellows, 5 masters students and 6 PhD students. He leads a clinical service and runs a research program comprising of clinical and translational studies. His work is focused on corneal transplantation, femtosecond laser technology, corneal imaging, corneal infections, corneal refractive surgery, keratoprosthesis surgery and corneal genetics. He has published >350 peer-reviewed papers and 15 book chapters. Current H-index 47, citations 7640. He has given >150 invited plenary, symposium and named lectures globally. His research work as generated 15 patents, 5 of which have been licensed to companies.

• Lecturer of ophthalmology, Fayoum University.
• Anterior segment consultant in International Eye Hospitals Egypt.
• Anterior segment consultant in Magrabi Hospitals of Egypt from April 2005- December 2006.
• Specialist of Ophthalmology in Research Institute of Ophthalmology from May 1995 – August 2004.
• Member of American and European Societies of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.
• Experience of doing more than 2000 cornea surgery, 20000 cataract surgery (phacoemulsification) and more than 5000 LASIK surgery.
• Intensive experience in working with Alcon phacoemulsification machines especially the Infiniti machine.
• Active member in the board of Egyptian cataract and refractive surgery society.
• Organizing the courses for learning and passing skills to others regarding the anterior segment surgeries.
• Consultant to Alcon company in Egypt and middle east. Educating doctors regarding phacoemulsification machines and surgical techniques. And researcher for the development of phacoemulsification machines for Alcon phacomachines.
• Sharing experience in more than 25 live surgeries in phacoemulsication in Egypt and middle east countries.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:

-Bachelor Basic Med. Sc., Kuwait University, Kuwait 1984
-MBChB, Glasgow University, United Kingdom, 1992
-FRCSC, Fellowship of The Royal College of Surgeons & Physicians of Canada, 1999. Canada.
-Certified (one year) fellowship in diseases of the Vitreous and Retina from July 1, 1999 to June 30, 2000. McGill University, Canada.

Certificates:

-Certificate of Provisional Registration As A Medical Practitioner, The General Medical Council (GMC). July 14, 1992. London, United Kingdom. Registration Number 3659861.
-The Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination (LMCC). September 9, 1993.
-USMLE step 1 (Basic Science), October 15, 1997.
-USMLE step 2 (Clinical Science), March 4, 1998.
-Clinical Skills Assessment (ECFMG), March 17, 1999.
-Educational Commission For Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate, April 19, 1999. Certificate Number 0-586-114-1.
-Maintenance of certification program (MOC) certificate of the Royal college of Physician and Surgeons of Canada, from 2000 – 2005.

Leon’s major area of expertise lies within the field of glaucoma surgical treatment. He is the first surgeon in the UK to adopt minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) into his clinical practice. He has been the lead practitioner and trainer in the UK for various technologies including the istent, Hydrus, Xen, Cypass and Innfocus Microstent. He was the local principle investigator for multiple RCTs including the Hydrus stent FDA trial, Hydrus vs istent study, Xen45 apex study, Treatment of Advance Glaucoma (TAG) study. He is also currently the chief investigator for the Summit Hydrus trial evaluating the effect of Hydrus stent in refractory glaucoma. Leon is one of 6 surgeons currently in the world involved in the clinical trial of the eyewatch glaucoma drainage implant and has successfully implanted the first 4 patients in the the UK. He is also the first surgeon in the UK to introduce iCare home phasing service that has been well received by the patients and won an Abbvie patient technology award. Leon serves as a specialist advisor for the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the field of innovative glaucoma surgery.

Leon is actively involved in teaching and training especially in the field of glaucoma. He is a newly elected co-chair of the ISGS associate advisory board. He has been involved as a lecturer and instructor in many international scientific conferences and wetlabs including the Royal College of Ophthalmology congress, UK and Eire Glaucoma Society meeting, European Glaucoma Society meeting, World Glaucoma Congress and the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. Leon publishes his research regularly in peer-reviewed journals.

Qualification:

B Med Sci 1995 Nottingham University, UK
MBBS 1998 Nottingham University, UK
FRCOphth 2003 Royal College of Ophthalmologist, UK

Current Employment:

2009 to present
Consultant Ophthalmologist,
Manchester royal Eye Hospital,
Oxford road,
Manchester,
M13 9WL,
UK

TO BE UPDATED

Professor Marc de Smet, former department head -department of Ophthalmology, University of Amsterdam. Founder and head of MIOS sa, Lausanne, Switzerland, and CMO – Preceyes bv, an ophthalmic robotics company,
Education: BSc(hon) in Chemistry (Magna cum Laude) from the University of Ottawa, Canada in 1979; Medical degree: MDCM from McGill University in Montréal, Canada in 1983; Internship in medicine at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Canada 1984; Ophthalmology residency at UBC, Vancouver, Canada till 1988. Completed a fellowship in Uveitis under RB Nussenblatt in 1990, and a fellowship in VR surgery in 1992 at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. He obtained a PhD in Ocular immunology from the University of Amsterdam in 2000.

Positions: Head of the Clinical Division of the Laboratory of Immunology of the NEI from 1991 to 1996. Department head and professor at the University of Amsterdam from 1996 to 2006. Head of VR surgery at Middelheim hospital from 2006 to 2009. Founded and became head of the MicroInvasive Ocular Surgery Center (MIOS) in Lausanne, Switzerland – a clinic specialized in retina and ocular inflammation. He is a present or past visiting professor in Gent University, Belgium; University of Leiden, the Netherlands.

Research interests: ocular inflammation, ocular pharmacology, ocular imaging (retinal and inflammatory disorders), retinal surgery, and robotics. He has spearheaded the development of ocriplasmin for ophthalmic applications (patent holder), the use of intraocular methotrexate for ocular lymphoma. He is one of the first individuals to use transverse OCT. He initiated the development of the Preceyes robot for eye surgery, the first robot ever to perform high precision intraocular surgery.

He has authored or co-authored over 160 articles in peer reviewed international journals, 30 chapters or book chapters, over 50 non peer reviewed articles. He has given more than 500 invited lectures at meetings or named lectures. Recipient of several prizes, he is (or has been) on the board of medical societies (national and specialized), as well as a consultant to numerous pharmaceutical companies and learned societies.
He is a member of the Macula Society, Jules Gonin Club, IUSG, IOIS, in addition to numerous national societies.

Upon completion of ophthalmology residency in 1997, Dr. Hosny worked as a fellow of refractive and anterior segment surgery at the University of Alicante, Spain perusing the clinical research of his Doctorate thesis under supervision of Professor Jorge Alio. He then travelled to work as a Registrar of Ophthalmology at Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh for one year. He obtained his Masters Degree from Cairo University in 1996, His FRCS degree from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1998, and his Doctorate degree in 1999. Dr. Hosny has numerous international publications including coauthoring in David Ben Ezra’s book “Ocular inflammation”. Dr. Hosny is a regular presenter at the ASCRS and occasionally at the ESCRS meetings over the past 12 years. He served for more than six years as panelist and co-Chair person in sessions at the annual meeting of the ASCRS.

Dr. Hosny is currently a Professor of Ophthalmology at Cairo University, he also is a leading Refractive and Anterior segment consultant at Dar El Oyoun Specialized Eye Hospitals in Egypt.

WORK EXPERIENCE

July 2016 – Present Ophthalmology Dept. Ain Shams University Hospitals, Retina unit, Professor of clinical Ophthalmology
Managing patients with medical and surgical Ophthalmic diseases with a special focus on retinal problems, teaching ophthalmology to the undergraduate and postgraduate students, and skill transfer to junior fellows and residents. Undergraduate and postgraduate exam preparation, and marking

Oct 09 – June 2016 Ophthalmology Dept. Ain Shams University Hospitals, Retina unit, Associate Professor of clinical Ophthalmology
Managing patients with medical and surgical Ophthalmic diseases with a special focus on retinal problems, teaching ophthalmology to the undergraduate and postgraduate students, and skill transfer to junior fellows and residents. Undergraduate and postgraduate exam preparation, and marking
July 04 – Sept 09 Ophthalmology Dept. Ain Shams University Hospitals, Retina unit, Lecturer of clinical Ophthalmology
Managing patients with medical and surgical Ophthalmic diseases with a special focus on retinal problems, teaching ophthalmology to the undergraduate students, and skill transfer to junior fellows and residents. OCT and Fundus Fulorescin angiography operator and analyzer.

Jan 01 – June 04 Ophthalmology Dept. Ain Shams University Hospitals, Retina unit, Assistant Lecturer
Managing patients with medical and surgical Ophthalmic diseases with a special focus on retinal problems, teaching ophthalmology to the undergraduate students, and skill transfer to junior fellows and residents.
Sep 00 – Dec01 William Beaumont Hospital, Beaumont Eye institute, Research Retina Fellow. Medical Retina research, Animal Research and Observing in the operating rooms with the associated retinal consultants (ARC). This was part of my Doctorate / Ph.D. Thesis titled the role of plasmin in facilitating posterior vitreous detachment in macular hole surgeries in joint supervision between Dr. Williams G.A. and Dr. Trese M.T. and my university in Egypt.
Sep 99 – Sep 00 Ophthalmology Dept. Ain Shams University Hospitals, Retina unit, Assistant Lecturer
Managing patients with medical and surgical Ophthalmic diseases with a special focus on retinal problems, teaching ophthalmology to the undergraduate students, and skill transfer to junior fellows and residents.
Apr 96 – Apr 99 Ophthalmology Dept. Ain Shams University Hospitals, Ophthalmology Resident
Manage patients in a 96 beds dept with 5 fully equipped ORs. and 8 specialized units in Vitreoretinal, Glaucoma, Squint, Oculoplastics, Cornea and anterior segment.
Mar 95 – Feb 96 Ain Shams University Hospitals, House officer (PGY1)
Attended two monthes in each department (Surgery, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, OB&GYN, Emergency and Ophthalmology).

• Prof. Mohamed Shafik is a Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Alexandria, Egypt and serves concurrently as a Cornea and Refractive Surgery Consultant at the Alexandria University Hospital in Egypt.
• Masters degree of Ophthalmology (University of Alex) and Doctorate degree in Ophthalmology (University of Complutense Madrid, Spain), Fellow of Instituto Ramon Castroviejo, Madrid.
• Founder and director of Horus Vision Correction Center, Alexandria and three other leading refractive centers in Egypt and Middle East.
• TFOS (Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society) Global Ambassador.
• Member of Many International Refractive Societies and Founder member of many Refractive Societies in Egypt and Middle East.
• Board member of the Egyptian Society of Ocular Implants and Refractive Surgery (ESOIRS), the Egyptian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (EgSCRS) & the Egyptian Refractive Club (ERC).
• Member of Reviewers board of many of the leading Refractive Surgery Peer reviewed journals.
• Winner of many honors and awards from the Egyptian and regional Societies of Refractive Surgery.
• International Global Advisory Board Member of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Today (CRSTE).
• Author of more than 60 Original Articles and Book Chapters in the Field of Refractive Surgery.

Professor Dr Nihal Al Shakankiri is a Professor of Pediatric Ophthalmology in Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University in Egypt.
She completed her undergraduate studies in Alexandria University and obtained her Bachelor Degree in 1989. She completed Ophthalmology residency in Alexandria Main University Hospital to obtain a Master Degree in Ophthalmology in 1994, and then her Doctorate Degree in Ophthalmology in 2000. She was then appointed to join the faculty staff where she finally became Professor of Ophthalmology in 2010. She developed a special interest in Pediatric Ophthalmology in the year 1995 to mark her first steps with a Doctorate Degree thesis about the evaluation of heparine surface modified IOLs in children.
She then continued a life long commitment to Pediatric Ophthalmology by a series of research topics in different aspects of Pediatric Ophthalmology with special interest in pediatric cataract. Some of her publications appear in International journals as Ophthalmology, Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and journals in the domain of molecular and clinical genetics.
In 2007 she founded the Association of Children Eyes of Alexandria, a non profit organization concerned with fund raising to sponsor every possible activity related to children eyes. This brought a quantum leap marked by founding and inauguration of Pediatric Ophthalmology Unit in Alexandria University, a place fully equipped with the most up to date instrumentation and technology related to the care of eyes of children. She participated in meetings all over Egypt and some outside Egypt teaching and lecturing and giving courses in Pediatric Ophthalmology, particularly pediatric cataract. She has lectured in Lausanne (Switzerland) in 2009, Beirut in 2010, Tunisia in 2011 and in 2013, Nigeria ( MEACO pediatric cataract course) in 2011, New York( International symposium of pediatric cataract) in 2011 and in 2014. In year 2015 she lectured in Barcelona (World Society of Pediatric Ophthalmology and strabismus ).
In year 2017 she participated in the World Society Pediatric Ophthalmology and strabismus in India by video presentations. In year 2018 she gave a course in management of congenital cataract in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. In Ethiopia in Addis Ababa in 2018 in COESCA meeting she gave a lecture in management of ectopia lentis in children. In 2019 she gave a lecture in Tunisia in management of ectopia lentis .She gave a course in management of congenital cataract in COESCA meeting in 2019 in Rwanda. In Kuwait she gave lectures in pediatric cataract in 2019 and finally she gave a course and a lecture in congenital cataract in Dubai in the 5th QOIC 2020 meeting.
To Nihal Al Shakankiri, prevention of blindness in children is her whole world.

Peter Stalmans is a staff member of the Department of Ophthalmology at UZ Leuven and Associate Professor at the KU Leuven. He gained his degree in medicine from the KU Leuven. He completed his residency-in-training in ophthalmology at UZ Leuven, after which he worked for one year as a vitreoretinal fellow at the Eye Hospital Rotterdam. He became a staff member at UZ Leuven in 2000, Associate Professor at the KU Leuven in 2001, and head of clinic in 2016.

Professor Stalmans is a member of AAO, ARVO, EVER, the Belgian Society of Ophthalmology, ASRS, EVRS, and EURETINA and has organized the international Leuven Retina Meeting in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017. He has presented at various national and international meetings. Professor Stalmans was the principal investigator of a number of phase II ocriplasmin clinical trials and was the coordinating investigator of the MIVI TRUST phase III trials (MIVI 6 and MIVI 7). In 2017, he performed the first ever successful robotic retinal vein cannulation.

His professional interests are vitreoretinal surgery, surgical instrument and device development, artificial vision, robotic eye surgery, 3D digital surgery and pharmacological vitreolysis.

Work Experience

• Current Position Director Cornea Clinic, Senior Consultant, Eye Department, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, INDIA
• Visiting Consultant, Lanka Hospitals, Colombo, Sri Lanka Al Bahar Hospitals, Kuwait

Previously

• Consultant Ophthalmologist & Cornea Specialist at Sankara Nethralaya Chennai – (1998 to 2005)
• Consultant Ophthalmologist at Apollo Hospitals, Colombo, Srilanka (2002-2003)

Awards And Achievements

Achievement Awards:

• Achievement award at AAO (American Academy of Ophthalmology)
• Achievement award at APAO (Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology)
• Gold Medal from Intraocular Implant& Refractive Society of India
• Gold Medal from SICSSO, Italy
• Gold Medal from SITRAC, Italy
• Oration award at numerous meetings all across in India

Actively involved in teaching & training

• Instruction courses at various international & national meetings, fellowship programs, & training courses in Cornea over the past 17 years

Dr Ramesh Kekunnaya is the Network Director – Capacity Building (External Organizations) at LVPEI. The other major portfolios that he is handling include Director of the Child Sight Institute, Director of Centre for Technology Innovation, and Head – Jasti V Ramanamma Children’s Eye Care Centre at LVPEI. Dr Kekunnaya is also an Executive Bureau Director of the World Society for Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (WSPOS), Founder Executive Bureau member of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Network (POSN) of India, and an Administrative Council Member of the International Strabismological Association (ISA).

Dr Kekunnaya received his basic medical training from the Karnataka Medical College, Hubli, and specialized in ophthalmology from the Government Medical College, Mysore. He completed a fellowship in Paediatric and Neuro Ophthalmology, Strabismus and Comprehensive Ophthalmology at LVPEI, followed by a Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Fellowship (AAPOS accredited) at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, USA. His core clinical interests include simple and complex strabismus in adults and children (squint), childhood cataract, vision development, myopia, amblyopia (lazy eye) and neuro-ophthalmological disorders in children.

He has been honoured with Achievement Awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr Kekunnaya is also the recipient of the International Scholar Award and International Education Award from AAO, and Honor Award from the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.
Dr Kekunnaya has authored over 150 publications in peer-reviewed journals in addition to having written over 25 text book chapters. He is the Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Section Editor for the British Journal of Ophthalmology, the Current Eye Research, and the BMJ Open Ophthalmology. He has presented widely, is invited as keynote speakers at both national and global levels, and is passionate about teaching.

Known as a calm and composed person by his fellow-colleagues, Dr Kekunnaya spends his free time listening to music and watching movies.

Consultant Cornea and Refractive surgery Clinical and
translational Scientist, Narayana Nethralaya, Bangalore, INDIA
GROW laboratories Faculty, Dept. of Ophthalmology, Univ. Maastricht.

Prof. Dr. Rohit Shetty is the Vice Chairman
of Narayana Nethralaya Eye Institute. He is
a Professor at Sri Devaraj Urs Medical
College, India and an Adjunct Associate
Professor at MS Ramaiah Medical College,
Bangalore and is an Affiliate Associate
Professor and PhD guide at the Maastricht
University in the Netherlands.
Prof. Dr. Rohit Shetty has over 200
Publication in peer reviewed indexed
Journals. He is a Corneal Refractive
Surgeon at Narayana Nethralaya Eye
Institute, Bangalore, India. His other areas
of work include Neuro-ophthalmology &
electrophysiology.

Prof. Dr. Rohit Shetty defended his PhD from Maastricht University, Netherlands
on Understanding the Clinical, Immunological and Genetic Molecular Mechanism
of Keratoconus. He has a special interest in the management of Keratoconus, tear
film abnormalities and biomarkers. He has introduced cutting edge technology at
Narayana Nethralaya and spearheads treatment for challenging eye disorders.

In the 2015 annual conference of the All India Ophthalmological Society,
Dr. Rohit Shetty won the prestigious Col. Rangachari award for the overall best
paper of the conference for his work on “Is Inflammation Driving Keratoconus? –
A Holistic Study Of Molecular Pathways”.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology recently conferred an achievement
award to Dr. Rohit Shetty for the distinguished services he has rendered over
the years to the programs of the society.

Professor at the UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE in Madrid, Spain.

Head of the motility unit at Hospital Clínico San Carlos Madrid, Spain.

President of the International Strabismological Association.

Former President of the European Strabismological Association and the Spanish Strabismological Association.

Seyhan B. Özkan was born in London in 1963. She graduated from Hacettepe University Medical School, Ankara in 1986 and completed her ophthalmology training at S.B. Ankara Numune Hospital Department of Ophthalmology in 1990. She made her subspecialty training on strabismus and pediatric ophthalmology in Moorfields Eye Hospital with Mr. John Lee and Mr. Peter Fells on 1991-92.

Dr. Özkan worked in S.B. Ankara Hospital till 1995 in Ankara. She became Associate Professor in 1996 and then Professor of Ophthalmology in 2002 in Adnan Menderes University Medical School in Aydın – Turkey. Since 2019 she is working fulltime in her private clinic. She had 128 published papers (73 international, 55 national) and 10 book chapters (6 national, 4 international).

Dr. Özkan served as the Local Organizer in the Meeting of European Strabismological Association (ESA) on 2004 in Izmir, and in the Meeting of International Strabismological Association (ISA) on 2010 in Istanbul.
Dr. Özkan was the President of the ESA between 2004 – 2009. She served as the Editor of ISA from 2006 to 2014 and she edited two ISA Transactions Books; ‘Update on Strabismology’ and ‘Advances in Strabismus’. Seyhan B. Özkan was the former President of ISA between 2014 – 2018. She is married and has two children.

Dr. Shady Awwad is a professor of Ophthalmology and the head of the cornea & refractive surgery division at the American University of Beirut Medical Center. He received his medical degree and completed his residency training at the American University of Beirut. He subsequently completed a fellowship in cornea & refractive surgery and then ocular pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Shady’s research and clinical interests are focused on analytical corneal imaging including developing machine learning models, ocular and corneal wavefront analysis, keratoconus diagnosis and treatment, refractive surgery, and intraocular lens calculations after refractive surgery, for which he has two formulas on the ASCRS IOL calculator website.

He created a patented technique to analyze optical coherence tomography images of corneal haze and demarcation lines using artificial intelligence and another software to analyze slit lamp photos, among others, and accurately compute corneal lesions coordinates, surface area, and density, ideal for custom ablation area phototherapeutic keratectomy. He has several online ophthalmology software and tools. He has been awarded , the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society award, the American Academy of Ophthalmology achievement award, and the George Waring Medal for editorial excellence from the Journal of Refractive Surgery.

Current position:

•Professor of Ophthalmology, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
•Secretary General of Egyptian Vitreoretinal Society (EGVRS).
•Retina Consultant at Retina Service Watany Eye Hospital (WEH), Cairo, Egypt.
CERTIFICATES
M.B.Bch, Excellent with Honor, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, December, 1989.
American National Board , June 1991.
Degree of Masters in Ophthalmology, Ain Shams University, November, 1993.
Degree of Medical Doctor (M.D. and PhD Degree) in Ophthalmology, Ain shams University, November, 1997.
Fellowship and Training
Ophthalmology residency at Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt (1990-1994).
Research Retina Fellowship, Duke University Eye Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA (1995-1996).
Previous affiliations
Head of Retina Service, Magrabi Eye Hospital, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
(2000 –2009).
Research and clinical interest:

•Diabetic vitrectomies: I had early interest in vitrectomy for diabetic macular edema and I proposed research project at Duke eye Center, North Carolina, USA of harvesting posterior hyaloid in tractional DME for immune-histochemical staining and was published in Retina in 2000.
•Penetrating and perforating Ocular trauma due to high incidence of trauma in the region for the past 7 years.
•High myopia and myopic macular hole retinal detachment: due to high prevalence in Egypt, I have a large experience in management of such challenging diseases and presented early cases comparing inverted ILM flap versus routine complete peel at AAO 2015 and a large study in EGVRS in 2017 and in EVRS in 2018.
•Autologous Retinal Transplant (ART): I was one of the early pioneers adopting such technique in recurrent and myopic macular hole retinal detachment and I presented my early cases at Duke’s Advanced Vitreous surgery Course (AVS) in Durham in 2017 and currently working on further indications of such technique in macular holes and non-macular posterior retinal breaks. Recently presented a novel technique in MMH RD in EVRS 2019 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Dr. Sherif Sheta, Professor of Ophthalmology and Senior Vitreo Retinal Consultant, Cairo University.
Chairman, Dar El Oyoun Eye Hospitals.
Member, Club Jules Gonan and Vail Vitrectomy group.
Board member, Egyptian Vitreo Retinal Society (EGVRS).

Dr. Sihem Lazreg currently owns and manages a private practice focused on treating ocular surface disease in adults and children in Algeria, and served as an Associate Professor at the University Hospital Mustapha Bacha of Algiers in 1990 through 2008. Dr. Lazreg obtained her Medical Degree from, completed residency at, and completed a fellowship at Paris Diderot University in France. She specializes in paediatric ophthalmology and ocular surface diseases. She is the leader on ocular surface in North Africa.

Dr. Lazreg has authored many manuscripts on severe allergies (vernal and atopic keratoconjunctivitis), dry eye associated with Sjogren’s Syndrome and graft-versus-host disease, and children’s blepharitis. Her main medical interests include ocular surface diseases, dry eye and allergies, Dr. Lazreg is a scientific coordinator in the Algerian Ophthalmologic Society and she is member of many African, European, Asian and American ophthalmologic societies, she is a member and ambassador of TFOS DEWS2.

Current Position:

Cataract Subspecialty Service and Ocular Inflammation and Immunology Service

Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC)

Soon-Phaik Chee, MD, is a Professor at the National University of Singapore and Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, Singapore. She is a Senior Consultant and heads both the Cataract Subspecialty Service and Ocular Inflammation and Immunology Service at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC).

In addition to her clinical commitments, Dr Chee also serves as group lead member of the Cataract research team at the Singapore Eye Research Institute. She obtained her Master of Medicine (Ophthalmology) at the National University of Singapore and was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow and Edinburgh and the College of Ophthalmologists, UK. She subsequently completed her fellowship in Uveitis and Oculoplastics, Lacrimal and Orbital Surgery at Moorfield’s Eye Hospital, London in 1993.

Dr Chee’s research interests in cataract include the management of complicated cataracts such as the dense posterior polar cataract, subluxated cataracts, premium intraocular lens implants and femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery. In addition to innovations in surgical techniques, she has also designed intraocular instruments which greatly augment surgeons’ abilities to overcome difficulties and improve the outcomes in these highly demanding cases.

Stefano Barabino is Head of the Ocular Surface & Dry Eye Center at the Sacco Hospital, Milan University, Italy. He received his medical doctor degree from Genoa University in 1998, completed his residency in Ophthalmology in 2002, and received his Ph.D. degree in Immunology in 2005. Dr. Barabino completed a two-year fellowship at Harvard University, in Boston, USA. As specialist in dry eye and ocular surface diseases, he has published more than 200 scientific articles in Italian and International scientific journals. He is an active member of several European and International professional societies, President of the Italian Society of Ocular Surface, board member of Ocular Immunology & Inflammation, Eye & Contact Lens, The Ocular Surface, BMC Ophthalmology, Current Eye Research, TVST.

Dr. Barabino has been an active member of the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) since its inception in 2000 and founding member of the European Dry Eye Society (EUDES).

Suzan Amana Rattan MD, consultant ophthalmologist at Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital,
Assistant professor, head of scientific Committee at AL-Kindy College of Medicine / University of Baghdad, Iraq.
She has several papers published in peer-reviewed Scopus indexed journals and was speaker in many international conferences.

Interested in medical and surgical retina, refractive surgery.

Board member in Iraqi Ophthalmology Society.

Professor and Former Head of Ophthalmology Department, Cairo University.

• Head of Cornea and Refractive Surgery Department, Al-Nour Eye Hospital, Cairo.
• Subspecialty: LAMELLAR CORNEAL SURGERY.
• Invited lecturer and guest speaker in the field of Lamellar Corneal Surgery in a lot of international meetings: Eucornea, Keracon, ISCKRS, ACS, SICSSO, RSO
symposium and others.
• Organizer and Lecturer of DMEK Workshops in Cairo University.
• Nationality: Egyptian.

Present Position:
Supervisor General Medical Affairs, Director of Vitreo-Retinal Units Magrabi Hospitals and Centers Member of the Board of Directors Magrabi Health Group, (Saudi Arabia, Gulf & Egypt)

Medical Training:
1. October 2011 to present – Chief of Staff Magrabi Hospitals & Centers Saudi Arabia & Gulf
2. May 1999 to October 2011 – Medical Director Magrabi Health Group Saudi Arabia & Gulf
3. March 1992 to present – Director of Vitreoretinal Units Magrabi Health Group Saudi Arabia, Gulf & Egypt)

Certification:
• American Board of Ophthalmology (1990)

Membership:
•Member of the Health Services Council – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2004 to 2006)
•Member of the Saudi Board of Ophthalmology (1996 to 2002)

Professor Walter Sekundo, MD, PhD is Medical Director and Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology, Philipps University of Marburg and University Eye Clinic Germany. In addition, he is the Head Surgeon of SMILEEYES Refractive Clinic Marburg. He is a comprehensive ophthalmic surgeon with special interest in cornea, cataract and refractive surgery. He studied Medicine in Frankfurt/Germany, New Orleans and Durham/USA. He received the postgraduate training at the Dept. of Ophthalmology, University of Bonn/Germany. He also accomplished fellowships in Eye Pathology at Tennents Institute of Ophthalmology (Glasgow/UK), Corneal & Refractive Surgery at Moorfields Eye Hospital (London/UK) and Vitreoretinal Surgery at the University of Marburg (Germany). He is one of the inventors of Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) and received several prestigious awards (Leonhard-Klein Award etc.) for this and other microsurgical developments. Prof. Sekundo is member in 11 national and international associations and a reviewer for several professional journals. He is an Editorial Board Member of “Der Ophthalmologe”, the journal of the German Ophthalmological Society. He published 170 original papers, 45 book chapters and edited a book on SMILE. He presented over 700 papers at national and international meetings. Despite all these commitments he remains a busy clinician with a total of over 25,000 procedures and some 1500-2000 anterior and posterior segment procedures annually. For this reason, since 2010 the independent “Focus Magazine” has regularly ranked him as one of the 30 top cataract and refractive surgeons in Germany.

Dr. Khoueir completed his residency at the Saint-Joseph University in Beirut. He then pursued his glaucoma training by obtaining postdoctoral fellowships from the Glaucoma Institute in Paris (UPMC Sorbonne University, Paris, France) and subsequently from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Hospital in Boston (Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA).

Dr. Khoueir received the young ophthalmologist scholarship award during the 8th International Congress on Glaucoma Surgery in 2016.

Dr. Khoueir currently holds the position of associate director of the Glaucoma division at the Beirut Eye and ENT Specialist Hospital. He’s a research collaborator at the Mayo Clinic Ophthalmology department. He’s a clinical instructor and lecturer at the Saint-Joseph University medical school in Beirut. He is the co-chair of the associate advisory board of the World Glaucoma Association and a member of the associate advisory board of the International Society of Glaucoma Surgery.

He is interested in the medical and surgical management of glaucoma and ophthalmic imaging with a special interest in innovative techniques such as minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) and glaucoma laser treatments.

By the time that she graduated from the Arabian Gulf University in Bahrain in Medicine, she had realized that she wanted to devote herself primarily to pediatric medicine because of her love for children and the joy that she finds in caring for their health and well-being, especially their eyes. Thereafter, she continued passion and got accepted for a Fellowship program in Pediatric ophthalmology & Strabismus at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital-University of Cape Town, South Africa and graduated in 2019.She is well trained in clinical and surgical treatment of full range of children’s Eye diseases which include, Retinopathy of Prematurity, Retinoblastoma, Cataracts, Glaucoma, Squints and eye injuries. She is Program Director of Abu Dhabi ophthalmology Residency Program.

Other qualifications:

• Full time one year fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus at Red Cross War Memorial Children Hospital –University of Cape town, South Africa
• Ophthalmology Arab Board-certified June, 2015
• Clinical science ophthalmology examination of international council of ophthalmology,” 2014
• Basic science & Optic and Refraction Examination in Ophthalmology”, International Council of Ophthalmology, April 2012
• Executive Master of Health Care Administration, Zayed University2010-2012.

Currently working at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (from Nov 2010 till now)

• Founder of Eye Consultants FZ-LLC
• Founder of Gulf Retina Group,which includes 12 members from all over the GCC
• Head of Scientific Committee of the Gulf Retina Group
• Representative of the Gulf in the American society of Retina Specialists(ASRS)
• Treasurer of Emirates Retina Group
• Local reviewer of the British Journal of Ophthalmology Middle East Edition

Current Position:

May 2013–Present-Head of Vitreoretinal Unit and Medical Director Eye Consultants Dubai,UAE
Management of all Vitreoretinal,uveitis and anterior segment cases.
Our Center is working as tertiary referral center accepting and treating most advanced and complicated cases from UAE,Middle East & Africa.

Clinical Experience

• General Clinics
• Subspecialty Clinics(SurgicalRetina,MedicalRetina&Diabetes,Uveitis,Cornea& Anterior Segment, Neuro-ophthalmology,Glaucoma,Oculoplastic,Pediatric & Strabismus)
• Accident and emergency sessions
• Screening for Retinopathy of Prematurity
• Fundus Fluoresce in Angiography
• Photo Dynamic Therapy
• Ultrasonography
• OCT Scanning

Surgical Experience:

• Primary and complex retinal detachments.
• Complex diabetic vitrectomy(TRRD & TRD).
• Retinopathy of prematurity.
• Macularsurgery(Macularhole,ERM & CNVM).
• Dropped nucleus & IOL.
• Trauma & IOFB removal.
• 23g,25g and 27g Sutuerlessvitrectomy.
• Phacoemulsification + IOL
• ECCE + IOL
• Trabeculectomy
• Penetrating and deeplamellar Keratoplasty

Dr. Murad Alobthani, MBBS, FRCS(Canada)

• Consultant Ophthalmologist – Head of Department – Sheikh Khalifa Medical City – Abu Dhabi
• Cornea, Cataractand Refractive Surgery
• Clinical Adjunct Professor, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi

Dr. Alobthani did the residency training at University of Toronto, Canada and graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons Canada. He completed cornea and refractive surgery fellowship at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada followed by a second Corneal fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, UK.

Osama Giledi is a Consultant Ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai , specialize in Cornea, Cataract and Refractive Vision Correction Surgery.

Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Mohammed Bin Rashid University Of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) Dubai.

He is an experienced consultant ophthalmologist with a wide range of experience in Cornea, Ocular Surface, and Modern Cataract and Refractive surgery.

He was graduate from Libya than did his Ophthalmology training and work in united kingdom for 22 years before coming to UAE 7 years ago. He had 2 years Fellowship training in cornea and refractive surgery at the Corneoplastic Unit and Eye Bank at Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Trust, UK.

Dr. Saleh Saif Al Messabi FRCS is one of the most esteemed Ophthalmologists in the region. For his quality of work, he was presented the Best Surgical Performance Award by Health Authority of Abu Dhabi. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Sheikh Rashed Al Maktoum award for Scientific outstanding.

Dr. Al Messabi has been known to be a pioneer when it comes to new developments in his field. He is one of the first 2 surgeons to introduce Femto-Cataract surgery to the Middle East in early 2012 and new types of multifocal intraocular lenses. A leader of innovation and one of the first few surgeons in the Middle East to start and to teach the most advanced forms of Corneal transplant like DSAEK and DALK in 2007.

Dr. Al Messabi finished his 5 years Ophthalmology Residency training from McGILL University, Canada. He then spent one year further to finish his Cornea and Refractive Surgery clinical fellowship at University of Montreal in 2007, after which he joined Sheikh Khalifa Medical City as Ophthalmology Consultant. During his tenure he established the Corneal Transplant program for SEHA in the same year, 2 years later he founded the Residency program and served until august 2012 as Residency Program Director and Head of Ophthalmology Department. After that, he joined Samaya Eye Hospital in Abu Dhabi as medical director and partner.

Dr. Al Messabi is the President of the Emirates Society of Ophthalmology and a very active member in Education and Research. He teaches Medical students in UAE University and has always given lectures in all the major, international conferences like AAO, ASCRS, ESCRS, WOC at different cities around the world.