CME Credit

Course Description
The Harvard Department of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting and Alumni Reunion is a two-day course aimed at updating ophthalmologists, including ophthalmology residents and fellows, and vision researchers about the latest advances in clinical care and research in ophthalmology. 

The proposed activity is designed to address a wide range of gaps in knowledge of ophthalmic clinical practice and ophthalmic research. Our program is designed to proportionally cover the anterior and posterior segments of the eye as well as optics and visual function. The main goal is to familiarize the audience with new research and to update on emerging clinical practices in the field of ophthalmology. For anterior segment of the eye, the program will address the clinical diagnosis and management of dry eyes which has a variable ocular presentation that is underdiagnosed given the estimated prevalence of about 30% in the general population.  The new developments in the corneal tissue engineering will help fill the information gap in providing alternatives for patients at high risk of rejection with human corneal transplant.  In addition, discussion of new three-dimensional technologies aiding in the diagnosis and monitoring of glaucoma will provide information on how to identify patients with worsening glaucoma which can be overlooked in as many of 50% of patients.  

For the posterior segment of the eye, the program will address new developments in the gene therapy of retinal degenerations, which constitute a major cause of blindness worldwide.  Gene therapy is a novel treatment currently in clinical trials for degenerations, and most ophthalmologists are not aware of the status of these trials and what can be offered to these patients who do not have any existing alternative treatment.  The retinal pigment epithelial toxic effects of tamoxifen, a widely used medication in breast cancer, will be discussed; the eye morbidity of this common medication is not generally known.  The incidence of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy is increasing in the developing world by up to 20% in some countries over the next decade. The program will discuss the development of telemedicine technologies which will be key to preventing blindness particularly in the developing world.  For the visual  function portion, the use of peripheral prism glasses to help patients with severe vision field loss will be described.  Finally, pediatric intracranial hypertension is a rare but potentially blinding condition that is poorly understood; the current state of diagnosis and treatment will be reviewed.

Didactic lectures will be an efficient way to transmit the information regarding state of the art ophthalmology diagnosis and treatment and research developments.  The Q & A session following each lecture will allow for participants to clarify their understanding of the material presentation in real time which provides the best chance for them to feel familiar enough with the presentation so as to apply it in their practices.

Target Audience : Physicians, Researchers, Optometrists

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:
• Recognize new developments in the pathophysiology of ophthalmic conditions such as tamoxifen toxicity of the retinal pigment epithelium and pediatric idiopathic intracranial hypertension.
• Improve screening techniques to accurately diagnose and treat patients with dry eyes.
• Evaluate emerging treatment for retinal degeneration, particularly ocular gene therapy.
• Identify new technologies for corneal tissue engineering.
• Integrate state of the art imaging technology for diagnosis and monitoring of glaucoma.

The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.  The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 11.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

 Harvard’s Disclosure Policy:
Harvard Medical School (HMS) adheres to all ACCME Essential Areas, Standards, and Policies. It is HMS's policy that those who have influenced the content of a CME activity (e.g. planners, faculty, authors, reviewers and others) disclose all relevant financial relationships with commercial entities so that HMS may identify and resolve any conflicts of interest prior to the activity. These disclosures will be provided in the activity materials along with disclosure of any commercial support received for the activity. Additionally, faculty members have been instructed to disclose any limitations of data and unlabeled or investigational uses of products during their presentations.

ACGME Competencies:  This course is designed to enhance the following Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education competencies: Patient care and medical knowledge.

Page updated 2/21/13