Annual meeting branded ‘a great success’

The Irish College of Ophthalmologists (ICO) Annual Conference 2025 was a “great success,” outgoing ICO President Mr John Doris told the Medical Independent (MI).

The conference was held at the Kilkenny Convention Centre, Lyrath Estate, Co Kilkenny, from Wednesday 21 to Friday 23 May, attracting a large number of delegates and featuring a programme with leading international and national speakers in the field of ophthalmology.

Dedicated sessions focused on general retina and genetics, neuro-ophthalmology, the anterior segment, developing emergency ophthalmology, the future of clinical practice, a top 10 tips session, and a panel on how to increase and optimise sustainability in ophthalmology.

Prof Andrew Dick, Duke Elder Chair and Director of the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London, UK, presented the annual Mooney Lecture 2025 on the evolution of treatment for uveitis, which Mr Doris cited as one of the highlights of the three-day meeting.

He also referred to the session on sustainability in ophthalmology as another key moment, noting it as a topic of personal passion and an area where he is actively leading the College’s efforts to embed sustainable practices across its work.

“Healthcare contributes to about 5 per cent of greenhouse emissions, and surgery creates about half of that,” he told MI.

“So, it is something we really need to tackle, and which needs to be kept on the agenda. We are happy to work with any units that want to improve their sustainability and cut down on wastage. We also need more movement from industry [in relation to less packaging, reusable instruments, and increased recyclable material].”

Other highlights of the ICO Annual Conference included specialised workshops, paper and poster presentations, ICO medals and awards, and the annual European Society of Ophthalmology Lecture 2025, delivered by Ms Sarah Moran, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Cork.

Mr Doris praised the high quality of research submitted for the conference and thanked all the paper presenters and the session speakers. He also acknowledged the contribution of Prof Conor Murphy, Chair of the ICO Scientific Committee, for his work in putting together the programme.

The new ICO President is Mr Gerry Fahy, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Blackrock Health, Galway, to whom Mr Doris extended his best wishes in the role.

Meanwhile, also speaking to MI, Ms Aoife Doyle, HSE National Clinical Lead for Ophthalmology, said the ongoing roll-out of multidisciplinary integrated eye care teams across the country is “progressing well”.

The initiative is helping to ease hospital workloads and reduce long waiting lists, with a recently established team in Sligo, Letterkenny, and Portlaoise set to launch its own team and premises shortly.

Ms Doyle, who gave an update on the clinical programme during the conference, said total activity on the paediatric clinical pathway has significantly increased in recent years, as has the number of cataract surgeries performed, due to the addition of dedicated cataract theatres in Dublin, the Midlands, Waterford, and now Cork.

“However, while there are reductions in waiting lists, the number of additions is very high, and while overall activity is high, the eligible population is increasing demand on services – and that will continue.”

She acknowledged that staffing numbers and recruitment remain an ongoing challenge in ophthalmology. However, the shift to a multidisciplinary approach – where more tasks are carried out by advanced nurse practitioners and orthoptists – is a key element in addressing growing demand.

Ms Doyle also said that progress on introducing a dedicated, integrated national ophthalmology electronic healthcare record system has been much slower than hoped.

“However, it is absolutely vital we get that in place to link the community and hospital services together under our new structures, so it is a patient safety essential and we are really continuing to push for that.”