Eye care professionals are encouraged to advise patients with keratoconus about the forthcoming seventh annual KeraClub, to be held as a hybrid event – face-to-face in Sydney and a webinar – on Thursday, 4 August 2022 at 5pm AEST.
Co-hosted by Save Sight Institute and Sydney Nano Institute at the University of Sydney, along with Keratoconus Australia, this event is for people with keratoconus, their families, carers, and friends. There will be opportunities to ask questions and hear answers from ophthalmologists and optometrists who specialise in keratoconus and learn from researchers on the latest developments.
Co-hosted by Save Sight Institute and Sydney Nano Institute at the University of Sydney, along with Keratoconus Australia, this event is for people with keratoconus, their families, carers, and friends
KeraClub 2022’s speakers include Professor Stephanie Watson OAM, Dr Yogambha Ramaswamy, Mr Larry Kornhauser OAM, Optometrist Mr Mark Koszek, Ms Justine McLaughlin, and Dr Himal Kandel. The event will be chaired by Ms Michelle Pritchard.
About the Speakers
Professor Stephanie Watson OAM
Professor Watson will discuss evidence-based management of keratoconus, highlighting ground-breaking research from the Save Sight Keratoconus Registry. Professor Watson is the Head of Corneal Research Unit at the Save Sight Institute and Head, Corneal Unit at Sydney Eye Hospital, the Chief investigator of the Save Sight Keratoconus Registry project, Chair of the Australian Vision Research, and Co-Deputy Director, Industry, Innovation and Commercialisation, Sydney Nano Institute.
Dr Yogambha Ramaswamy
Dr Ramaswamy, a senior lecturer at the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, will present the application of nanotechnology to keratoconus care. Dr Ramaswamy is a chemical engineer with a PhD in biomedical engineering and a Master’s degree in Biotechnology. She is an internationally renowned researcher with expertise and interests in areas including biomaterials, tissue engineering, and mechanobiology.
Mark Kozsek
Optometrist Mark Koszek from EyeQ Optometrists will speak about getting the most out of your contact lenses. Mr Koszek is a founding partner and the Professional Education Officer of EyeQ Optometrists. He has lectured extensively throughout Australia, New Zealand and Asia on contact lenses, dry eye and ocular diseases and his special interests include scleral contact lenses.
Larry Kornhauser OAM
Mr Kornhauser will talk about how Keratoconus Australia supports patients with keratoconus. Mr Kornhauser has a lived experience of keratoconus and is the founder-president of Keratoconus Australia. He and Keratoconus Australia have supported Save Sight Keratoconus Registry and were the co-founders of KeraClub in 2015.
Justine McLaughlin
Understanding patient perspectives is the centre of the KeraClub and with this in mind, Ms McLaughlin has been asked to share her lived experiences with keratoconus. Ms McLaughlin was diagnosed with Keratoconus in her late teens and managed it through glasses and hard contacts until an emergency corneal transplant in 2005. She is a qualified solicitor and has spent the last decade in NSW Local Government as an elected Councillor and Deputy Mayor. She is currently a committee member of Keratoconus Australia.
Dr Himal Kandel
Evaluating and improving quality-of-life has been a major focus of the Save Sight Keratoconus Registry. Dr Kandel, the Kornhauser Research Associate at the Save Sight Keratoconus Registry will present quality-of-life research from the Save Sight Keratoconus registry.
Michelle Pritchard
The KeraClub 2022 will be chaired by Michelle Pritchard, an internationally reputed violist and violinist who has also lived most of her life with keratoconus. Ms Pritchard has recently completed a Master of Music at The Royal Conservatoire, The Hague with Cum Laude (distinction).
Prior to 2020, the KeraClub was an in-person event held at the Sydney Eye Hospital. The talks and panel discussion were followed by a social gathering where participants actively engaged in the informal discussion. For the last two years, the KeraClub has been held as a webinar due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“The webinar format has allowed us to reach a larger number of people and avoid the risks of COVID-19. However, the in-person interaction was greatly missed. This year we are organising it as a hybrid event,” said Professor Stephanie Watson.
Registration is Free But Essential
Zoom details for the event will be emailed to the participants closer to the event. For further information, contact [email protected].
