X International Conference on Myopia
Brief report on Russian ophthalmologist participation

X Regular International Conference on Myopia was held on July 19 – 22, 2004 in Cambridge (UK).
The Meetings were supported by Myopia Research Foundation Welfare Fund. In the meeting in 1984 in New York, conferences were held every second year in large ophthalmologic centers all over the world (Copenhagen, Rome, Toronto, Singapore, Boston, Hong-Kong, and so on). Proceedings of the Conferences were published in heavy volumes containing full papers presented at the meetings. Unfortunately, since the 9th Conference only theses of reports are published. Though this collection of theses gives an indication of the modern state of the myopia problem, it poorly reflects scientific and technique ideas and details of obtained results and prevents outlining of ambiguous and unsolved questions. Therefore, of the highest value becomes participation in conferences that gives an opportunity to present results of self investigation for judgment of highly experienced and qualified experts and take part in discussion always held after presentation of the reports. Only financial support of the MACDEL Company gives Russian delegates the opportunity to participate in the last Conference, among whom were Doctor of medicine E.P. Tarutta, the Head of Laboratory on myopia investigations in Helmholtz Moscow Research Institute of Eye Diseases, and Doctor on biology E.N. Iomdina, the leader scientist of this laboratory.

In the 10th Conference over 150 specialists from many countries (Australia, Great Britain, Denmark, Iran, Spain, Canada, China, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, USA, Switzerland, and Japan) participated.
The following questions were brought up and discussed at the Conference:

1. The role of accommodation disturbances in myopia development in children and adults.
2. Adequacy of experimental models of myopia to real mechanisms of refractive disorder development in people.
3. Possible retina, choroids and sclera signal mechanisms, which affect normal and pathologically abnormal eye growth.
4. Optical correction as the control factor for myopia development.
5. The environment significance for myopia occurrence and development.
6. Progress in genetic studies of myopia.
7. Optical aberrations and their significance in myopic refraction occurrence.

These topical questions and some other aspects were presented in 9 program lectures, 41 reports and 23 poster sessions, among which 3 reports and 11 posters were prepared by Russian scientists from the laboratory on myopia in Helmholtz Research Institute of Eye Diseases. These scientists are also the co-authors of two more reports, presented by specialists from the USA and Switzerland. Totally, a quarter of the Conference materials were presented by the experts from the laboratory on myopia in Helmholtz Research Institute of Eye Diseases. The significant contribution of Russian scientists and their role in successful performance of the Conference were emphasized by Prof. O’Leary, the Chairman of the Conference Board.

See below the list all reports with participation of Russian delegates. The full program of the Conference you may find on the Website www.apu.ac.uk/appsci/optometry/myopiaconference.

The reports presented by Russian ophthalmologists indicated high level, depth, multi-directionality and priority of the studies performed, which excited high interest of the Conference participants and was highly evaluated by them. Prof. Yu.Z. Rosenblyum presented a report on “The results of one-year observations for conditions of refraction, accommodation and eye axis length in schoolchildren inhabited in the Far North”. This investigation confirmed reliability of the A-P eye axis elongation by 24 mm or longer and reduction of the relative accommodation reserve to 1 D as the symptom for myopia occurrence in children. The conclusions conform to data by other contributors of the Conference on the connection between accommodation system disorders and myopia occurrence or development.

Pathogenetic role of weakened accommodation in myopia development, which is unambiguous for Russian ophthalmologists for many years, was not yet accepted by foreign experts. At the present Conference, the broad experimental materials which confirm the views of Russian scientists made the majority of the Conference participants accept reality of the casual relationship between accommodation disorders and myopia development. Much attention was given to the poster presentation of low energy laser stimulation method (using MACDEL-09 and MACDEL-08 devices) for curing accommodation disorders in case of myopia (E.P.Tarutta, A.V.Lazuk, E.N.Iomdina, L.S.Orbachevsky “Low power lasers in the treatment of low and moderate myopia”).

The wholesome effect of laser stimulation on myopic eye accommodation and circulatory dynamics using MACDEL-09 and MACDEL-08 devices allowed inclusion of this method to the system of prophylaxis measures against progression of myopia and its complications. For a long time, this system is successfully applied to clinical practice in Helmholtz Research Institute of Eye Diseases (Moscow, Russia). This was discussed in the report by E.P. Tarutta “Progressive myopia in children: To cure or not to cure?” The remote efficiency of myopia curing system which gave an opportunity to unambiguously answer this question was analyzed in the report. It was listened to by the audience with great attention and favoring.

Successful holding of the Conference was also promoted by the specific atmosphere of the place – the city of Cambridge, which is famous with its highly qualified scientists, the University and other scientific establishments.