SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION
GENERAL TARGET
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness through the National Centre of Services and Research for the Prevention of Blindness and Visual Rehabilitation organizes the “II International Symposium on Low Vision Rehabilitation and Visual Ability”.
Low vision has increased among population of industrialized countries and consequently the demand for visual rehabilitation has increased, this is the reason why we decided to organize this Symposium. The WHO estimates that 269 million people in the world are affected by vision impairment and in Italy people with low vision are about 1.5 million.
One of the National Centre’s goals is the rehabilitation of people with low vision through a multidisciplinary approach which considers the patients as their main activity in order to improve the quality of patients’ life. The relationship between the National Centre and the leading experts in rehabilitation often emphasizes difficulties and lack of homogeneity in the national territory in this field. It is therefore important to promote the exchange of information among all areas of low vision including basic science, rehabilitation and education pertaining to visual impairment, practitioners and ophthalmologists. Their common aim is to find the best rehabilitation processes and methods, the comparison with other countries and analysis of common needs.
SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS
In order to promote the exchange of information on the different aspects of visual rehabilitation we need to discuss this topic in its entirety, taking into account the multidisciplinary approach and what correlated.
The Symposium will start with an analysis of the state of the art in the rehabilitation field, emphasizing the past, the present and the future rehabilitation of this discipline.
The comparison of different international rehabilitation methods will be discussed during the first scientific session where leading experts from the Anglo-Saxon countries, North and South Europe and North Africa will show the importance of different rehabilitation models, pointing out also differences due to specific health systems.
A panel discussion on rehabilitation models in Italy is also scheduled. Rehabilitation methods of some Low Vision centres will be presented and compared in order to find differences and good practice models, but also to work together to find solutions to the flaws of the health system.
The discussion will continue and experts of neuro-ophtalmology will try to define the current scientific knowledge on brain plasticity. The session which is dedicated to the rehabilitation of the developing age and,. simultaneously, of the adult will take place; a discussion will be devoted to low vision in the employment.
The speakers will also discuss on the new therapeutic perspectives of the diseases which cause low vision during a session devoted to the relationship between the clinician and the rehabilitator according to current and future therapies for macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and hereditary retinal, degenerative diseases.
Finally, ample space is given to presentations of current research in rehabilitation and special attention will be given to methodological and technological innovations that will encourage future improvement in the management of the rehabilitation program.
WORKSHOPS
- BASIC OF LOW VISUAL REHABILITATION
- MICROPERIMETRY IN REHABILITATION PLACEMENT, TRAINING AND FOLLOW-UP
- EXAMPLES OF COMPUTER DEVICES IN REHABILITATION
- PSYCHOLOGY AND LOW VISION
- OPTICAL AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES: SOME NEWS
POSTER SESSION
Contribution can be submitted in Italian or English and will be accepted as POSTER.
Abstract submitted through different means will not be accepted.
Deadline for abstract submission is 30 September 2010.
All abstracts will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee of the Congress. Acceptance, together with all technical details for poster presentations will be notified to the submitting Autothor by 30 October 2010.
Registration in the Congress is mandatory for the submission of posters.
