RCSV and School of Optometry Joint Research Forum - "Visionary Insights: Innovations in Myopia Management and Diabetic Retinopathy Research"
Conference / Seminar

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Date
11 Mar 2024
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Organiser
School of Optometry
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Time
12:00 - 13:30
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Venue
HJ302, PolyU Map
Speaker
Mr Jagrut Lallu
Dr Jingfa Zhang
Summary
Topic 1 - Myopia management in New Zealand – a story of innovation
This seminar will focus on the main methods of myopia management in New Zealand and will also chronicle the timeline and history of myopia practice management in New Zealand, It will specifically focus on: Orthokeratology using EyeSpace Forge Ortho-K (it will briefly outline other systems in the market), Atropine, Dual focus soft lenses and more recently Red Light therapy. The talk will also discuss the mechanism of myopia management and will also touch on when duo therapy is indicated in modern myopia management clinics outside of Hong Kong.
Topic 2 - Translational research on diabetic retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of visual impairment in working-age adult, currently the treatments are very limited. The pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy is complex with multiple cells and cytokines are involved. Dr Zhang will discuss the mechanisms of diabetic retinopathy from different aspects, including the blood-retinal barrier breakdown, the drainage dysfunction of Muller glia, the involvement of inflammation as well as the multi modes of cell death in diabetic retinopathy based on the research of his team. He will also discuss the translational study of intravitreal injection of erythropoietin to treat diabetic retinopathy from experiment diabetic model to the patients with refractory diabetic macular edema.
Keynote Speaker

Mr Jagrut Lallu
Clinical Senior Lecturer, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Australia
Mr Jagrut Lallu is an Honours graduate from the University of Auckland and co-owner of Rose Optometry and Innovatus Technology in New Zealand. With a special interest in irregular cornea, disease, and orthokeratology, he established the country's first myopia control clinic in 2009. Jagrut earned a Master's degree with Honours in specialty contact lenses and orthokeratology from the University of Auckland in 2017. He has co-authored a textbook chapter on corneal topography and developed online learning modules with Deakin University. Currently, he serves as a Senior Lecturer at the Deakin School of Optometry and publishes on topics like Orthokeratology, dry eye, red light therapy, and machine learning. In 2023, he founded the New Zealand Eye Research Centre, focusing on clinical trials.

Dr Jingfa Zhang
Deputy Director, Shanghai Eye Research Institute
Principle Investigator, Associate Chief Physician and Doctoral Supervisor, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Dr Jingfa Zhang is the Deputy Director of Shanghai Eye Research Institute, and the Associate Chief Physician, Principal Investigator and Doctoral Supervisor in Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. He undertook his medical training in Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University and got Ph.D. degree in Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS, Shanghai, China. His research mainly focused on the mechanisms and treatments of blinding fundus diseases. He has published more than 100 papers which have attracted more than 2,600 citations (Google scholar H index 29 by Feb. 2024).