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From the WGA
Dear IGR readers,
It has been an exciting first quarter for 2022 with many WGA programs and activities to promote and support the work of our societies. The WGA has expanded our educational resources online and developed numerous opportunities for remote learning. Our collaborative work helps to deliver the very best care for our glaucoma patients.
World Glaucoma Week (March 6-12) was a major success with over 500 screenings and educational activities registered worldwide. This year, the WGA also launched a Patient Guide to help patients navigate their glaucoma care during the COVID 19 pandemic. We were helped by well-known celebrities to spread the word and the feedback to date has been overwhelming. Numerous media sources held interviews with the WGA leadership with an emphasis on the importance of early glaucoma detection and treatment. Engaging videos from patients with glaucoma also helped to shine a spotlight on this important disease.
2022 has also seen the launch of a special series called the WGA Surgical Grand Rounds, the first one which was attended by over 1300 ophthalmologists from 122 countries. The recorded January session is available to everyone with a WGA#One at the WGA website. The April 14th webinar will address the management of hypotony following glaucoma surgery. Planning for the WGA Global Webinars which have been a tremendous source of education and updates about the latest technologies is well underway and the next one will take place on May 21, 2022, with registration open on April 18th. We look forward once again to engagement from the global community.
The new lectures of the Fundamental Questions in Glaucoma Video Lectures will be released on April 19. Members will be able to access these talks and other educational resources at WGA#One. The Journal of Glaucoma, as the official journal of the WGA, continues to provide the latest developments in the field; stay abreast of the latest advances in glaucoma science and care through the Twitter handle @JOGJournal.
We will have a WGA exhibit booth #1610 at the upcoming ARVO meeting in Denver from May 1-4th so please come by and visit us to learn more about what the WGA is planning and to support the educational needs of the international glaucoma community. WGC-2023 planning is well underway so please mark your calendars for the next World Glaucoma Congress to take place June 28-July 1, 2023 in Rome.
The work of the WGA is only possible through the tireless work of our international community volunteers. We thank you, the dedicated members of all of the WGA committees, and the outstanding executive office that helps to make things happen.
Until the next opportunity to see you in person or online, we wish you well.
Neeru Gupta, MD PhD MBA FRCSC DABO
President
Shan Lin, MD
Executive Vice-President
Kaweh Mansouri, MD MPH
Associate EVP
Get to know us
Ziad Khoueir
I still remember my trip to Helsinki in 2017 when I had the opportunity to attend the World Glaucoma Congress for the first time. This was my initial encounter with the WGA, and I didn’t know back then that this organization would become a big part of my professional life.
I’m currently the associate director of the Glaucoma Division at the Beirut Eye and ENT Specialist Hospital. We are a high-volume referral specialty hospital in the Middle East, and a hybrid model of private practice and teaching hospital. My practice there covers a wide range of glaucoma patients, from early glaucoma to complex referred cases of advanced glaucoma. I also cover a wide range of cataract and comprehensive ophthalmology. I joined the institution in 2016 when I came back to Beirut after completing both research and clinical glaucoma fellowships in Paris and Boston.
I am also a clinical instructor and lecturer at my alma mater, the Saint-Joseph University Medical School. My research focuses on optic nerve imaging, minimally invasive glaucoma surgery and the use of micropulse laser in the treatment of glaucoma. I recently joined the Mayo Clinic Ophthalmology Department in Jacksonville as a research collaborator.
My involvement with the WGA started in 2019 as a member of the Associate Advisory board (AAB). I was pretty excited to join this diverse group of young clinicians and scientists from all over the world. I was also appointed to the Communication/Technology committee and later on to the Patient committee. I’ve been co-chairing the AAB with Alex Huang since 2021.
I started the WGA paper of the month video as a pilot project in 2019. The idea was to get the AAB members to vote for their favorite Journal of Glaucoma paper every month. I would then record and edit a video podcast starring the leading/corresponding author of the article. Thanks to the support of the AAB and the executive committee, this podcast became a landmark part of the WGA online presence, and it illustrates the strong ties between the organization and its official journal.
WGA is a wonderful organization with an unmatched scope and diversity. It is built on solid core values and has a profoundly humane purpose. I’m proud and grateful to be part of it. I’m also lucky to have met many friends and mentors along the way.
