Vision Share Offers DMEK Wet Lab Training Sessions in Multiple Cities, Including ASCRS 2017 in L.A.
CHICAGO – May 2, 2017 – Vision Share, the preferred source for eye tissue, eye banking expertise, education and industry leadership, today announced a series of wet lab training opportunities in Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) for 2017, including a session during the ASCRS 2017, the annual meeting of the American Academy of Cataract & Refractive Surgery held May 5–9 in Los Angeles.
"By providing surgeons with donor corneas and wet lab sessions, Vision Share allows surgeons to bring the newest and safest corneal surgery techniques to their patients," said Dr. Angelique Pillar Mid Atlantic Cornea Consultants in Baltimore, MD., who will lead the wet lab session at ASCRS.
At Vision Share wet lab sessions, surgeons and CEBT technicians guide attendees through the DMEK procedure. In hands-on practice with processed and unprocessed tissue, surgeons learn the DMEK technique, which is very different from that of other procedures. Surgeons experiment with different maneuvers and in the eye in a controlled environment, learning about potential complications and how to get out of trouble. With the skills to avoid common pitfalls, they increase their chances of success and good patient outcomes.
“At Vision Share, our mission is to serve surgeons and their patients. For newer procedures like DMEK, we see an opportunity to help surgeons get the hands-on training they want, and we are very pleased to fulfill that opportunity this year through wet lab training programs in cities around the country,” added Vision Share President and CEO Philip I. Waitzman.
Surgeons are invited to attend these Vision Share wet lab training sessions:
- May 4, 2017: ASCRS, JW Marriott, Los Angeles, Calif., 5:30pm-9:30pm
- May 11, 2017: Krieger Eye Institute, Sinai Hospital, Baltimore, Md., 3:00pm-7:00pm
- May 24, 2017: UNC, Chapel Hill, N.C., 6:30pm-8:00pm
- June 2017 Salt Lake City, UT*
- June 2017 Tufts University, Boston*
- October 2017 Minnesota*
- November 13, 2017: AAO, New Orleans, LA.*
*Location details and time to follow
Attendees can register online or sign up for Vision Share’s Wet Lab Update list to learn about future sessions. In addition, Vision Share offers a kit called DMEK in a Box that contains the instruments and supplies surgeons need to perform this procedure.
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Vision Share to Distribute Corneal Tissue to Seven African Countries Through Orbit Health Care Services Limited.
CHICAGO – April 27, 2017 – Vision Share, the preferred source for eye tissue, eye banking expertise, education and industry leadership, announce today that it has signed a contract with Orbit Health Care Services, Ltd., to distribute corneal tissue to the hospital’s locations in seven African countries: Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia operating under the brand name “Dr. Agarwal’s Health Care Limited”.
“Dr. Agarwal’s Health Care Limited” has served patients for 60 years, expanding from its roots in Chennai, India, to 70 locations in India and 12 other countries. The hospitals offer the full range of ophthalmology services, including state-of- the-art corneal transplant procedures. In fact, the hospital’s chairman, Dr. Amar Agarwal, invented pre-Descemet’s endothelial keratoplasty (PDEK), in which the surgeon replaces only the cornea’s innermost layers.
Dr. Agarwal stated, “In Africa, shortages of corneal tissue are common. Many patients spend years on waiting lists for tissue or do not get treatment at all. Through our agreement with Vision Share, we hope that our hospitals in Africa will become a source of hope and restored vision for people living with corneal blindness.”
“We are proud to partner with Orbit Health Care Services Limited, known internationally for their exceptional physicians and standard of care,” says Philip I. Waitzman, Vision Share President and CEO. “In our ongoing work in Africa, Vision Share is taking the fight against curable blindness to some of its traditional strongholds. With the help of Orbit Health Care Services Limited, we can make a difference for people in these seven African countries. The project inspires hope and dedication in our Vision Share team.”
Read more about Orbit Health Care Services Limited, visit www.dragarwal.com.
About Vision Share
Vision Share is the largest network of eye banks in the world, spanning over 17 states in the U.S. Vision Share and its members are consistently recognized as best in class for eye bank experience and expertise and are leading innovators in eye bank procedures and technology. Vision Share prides itself on having a global reach for placement of eye tissue. Our network and its reach are uniquely designed to meet the specific individual needs of surgeons, hospitals, surgery centers, academic institutions, and other eye banks in need of ocular tissue and related services regardless of location. For more about Vision Share, visit www.visionshare.org.