WCPOS V 2024 Day 1: Diversity, Education and Collaboration 

The 5th World Congress of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (WCPOS V 2024) is now underway, where the brightest global stars in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus management have touched down in Kuala Lumpur, home to the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, for the first WCPOS since the 2017 conference in Hyderabad, India. 

A melting pot of diverse cultures, the Garden City of Lights sets a complementing backdrop for the wide range of delegates at WCPOS V 2024. With experts from around the world bringing their unique perspectives, the first day of the conference was a fascinating blend of insights and innovation, setting the stage for an engaging and enlightening event. 

Under the lights of the Plenary Theatre, a warm and welcoming energy filled the air as Prof. Ken Nischal, co-founder of World Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (WSPOS), took the stage during the opening ceremony. In his speech, Prof. Nischal proudly announced that WSPOS now boasts 6,000 members, all united by a shared commitment to ophthalmic education. “Education is the most powerful tool in the world, and so it should be free,” he declared, highlighting the society’s policy of free membership.

Prof. Nischal also emphasized the inclusive nature of the conference. “At WCPOS, we don’t have ‘speakers’ or ‘attendees’—everyone here is a delegate,” he said. “We are all teachers, and we are all learners,” he added, reinforcing the idea that everyone, regardless of their title, has valuable insights to share. 

“Expertise resides all over the world,” Prof. Nischal continued, underscoring the importance of global collaboration. He also celebrated the diversity of the attendees, noting, “If English is your second language, your accent is your perspective.” This sentiment resonated deeply, emphasizing that the variety of voices and viewpoints enriches the conference. 

In a forward-looking statement, he concluded, “The future has arrived, it’s just not evenly distributed. Our goal is to distribute the future evenly throughout the world.” With these words, Prof. Nischal encapsulated the mission of WSPOS: to ensure that the advancements in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus management benefit children everywhere, fostering a truly global exchange of knowledge and expertise.

Awakening the lazy eye

With Prof. Nischal’s inspiring words in mind, delegates eager to delve into pediatric amblyopia management gathered in Conference Hall 3 to explore current strategies and future directions. Prof. Jonathan Holmes (USA) kicked off the session by comparing research on sequential versus simultaneous treatments of glasses and patching. Dr. Justin Mora (New Zealand) then examined patching for deprivation amblyopia. 

Shifting the focus to innovative solutions, Dr. Haeng-Jin Lee (Korea) addressed the challenges of patching and introduced binocular amblyopia treatment using smart devices. Meanwhile, Dr. Nurul Farhana binti Abu Bakar (Malaysia) highlighted the success of Amblyopia and Visual Impairment Screening (AVIS), an optometrist-led national initiative tackling challenges in amblyopia management in Malaysia. 

The session concluded with Prof. Chris Hammond (UK) discussing the prediction of refractive error and amblyopia, emphasizing the intricate interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Be sure to check out our full article on the symposium here, where we cover it in full detail.

Ophthalmologists are real-life superheroes

The WSPOS was founded, to quote Prof. Ken NIschal, “to give a voice to those with the least noise”, pertaining to ophthalmologists championing the pediatric patient population. “Today the industry is looking at pediatric ophthalmology in a way that they never looked at it before,” shared Prof. Nischal.

Orbital diseases, including tumors, can often be a matter of life and death, and more so in children, which is truly heartbreaking. These are the cases where ordinary ophthalmologists turn into life- and sight-saving superheroes, according to Dr. Celeste Mansilla (Argentina) during her presentation at the first plenary session. 

Dr. Bipasha Mukherjee (India) talked about orbital dermoids– from various kinds of cysts, including a case study-guided exposition on how to recognize, diagnose and treat each one. On the other hand, Dr. Katya Tambe (United Kingdom) believes that we [ophthalmologists] are going overboard with orbital cellulitis overdiagnosis in children. She then provided an overview of the sinister syndromes that mimic orbital cellulitis—including tips on how to avoid falling into this potentially sight-robbing trap.

Furthermore, Dr. Mansilla emphasized that proptosis is not only an important early indicator for orbital disease, but it can also be a significant threat to pediatric sight or worse, and there is a time factor critical to the success of treatment. Meanwhile, Dr. Manoj Parulekar (United Kingdom) sped through the many different types of tumors and what can be done about them. He reminded delegates that early action is key, and how differentiating malignant cases from benign ones is critical. Don’t miss the full article of that session here for more details.

A delegate’s perspective

Both Dr. Choo and Dr. Lim highlighted the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, a resounding theme that echoed throughout Day 1. Dr. Neeran Narainswami (Red Cross Children’s Hospital, South Africa), who presented at the Updates in the Medical Management of Paediatric Retinal Diseases symposium, strongly supported this sentiment. “A multidisciplinary approach is essential. Because you’re dealing with a child, a pediatrician must also be involved,” he asserted.

In his presentation, Dr. Narainswami shared cases of frosted branch angiitis that required collaboration from rheumatologists, virologists and infectious disease microbiologists. The team’s combined expertise led to the novel use of infliximab, a monoclonal antibody, which successfully improved their patients’ vision.

Reflecting on his experience at WCPOS V 2024 thus far, Dr. Narainswami remarked, “I think WCPOS is amazing. There’s this collaborative, global effort, and all these minds from around the world come through.” He found great value in Dr. Subhadra Jalali’s (India) lecture on retinopathy of prematurity, noting, “I was able to chat with her afterward and discuss a patient. It was great to get feedback from her.”

However, the conference isn’t all about lectures and talks. Dr. Narainswami is also excited to explore Kuala Lumpur as a first-time visitor. “Getting off the plane, the first thing I noticed was that every little spot seemed to be bursting with life, even the cracks in the ground. It’s amazing. You can feel the city is alive.”

As Day 1 winds down and the nerves of presenting are out of the way, Dr. Narainswami looks forward to relaxing, soaking in new knowledge at WCPOS 2024, and enjoying the vibrant beauty of Kuala Lumpur. We hear you, Dr. Narainswami, us too. And with that, we’ll see you tomorrow for another round of highlights for Day 2.

Editor’s Note: Reporting for this article occurred at the 5th World Congress of Paediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus (WCPOS V 2024) from 11-13 July in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.