ZAGREB, October 29th, 2016 – Fourth year in a row expert team of ophthalmic surgeons from the Eye Clinic Svjetlost performed live eye surgeries for large audience consisting of ophthalmologists in Zagreb and Milan, Italy. Four expert surgeons performed 5 complicated close up eye surgeries in just about 60 minutes. This is a brief overview of last Saturday's exciting international ophthalmic surgery Symposium ''Best Live Surgery Award'' held as part of surgical congress "Videocatarattarefrattiva Milano". You can watch the complete surgical video HERE.

Surgical team from Eye Clinic Svjetlost consisting of prof. Nikica Gabrić, prof. Iva Dekaris, assistant prof. Ratimir Lazić and Vesna Cerović, MD has once again showed their surgical skills as well as use of modern techniques and methods in ophthalmology. Ophthalmologists from Eye Clinic Svjetlost have performed five surgeries where they have presented lens implantation tecniques for patients not suitable for laser vision correction (phakic intraocular lens implantation surgery – Prof Nikica Gabrić), Symfony intraocular lense implantation for problems of age diopter, presbyopia, and cataract problems (Vesna Cerović, MD), implantation of PanOptix lens which reduces the need for reading glasses (prof. Nikica Gabrić), popularized tecnique of corneal transplantation -ultrathin (UT) Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) (Prof Iva Dekaris) and vitrectomy surgery as the most effective treatment to repair a macular hole (assistant Prof Ratimir Lazić).

On the same day another important ophtalmology event was held in Zagreb, the 12th annual Meeting of the Croatian Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery. Several hundred ophthalmologists in Sheraton hotel in Zagreb and more than thousand participants of Milan Symposium, where five-member jury reviewed surgeries performed by five teams, had the chance to view live stream surgeries. The surgeries were displayed in close-up view, with the jury posing questions and assesing even the slightest surgeon's hand movements as well as his answers to the jury's questions during the surgical procedure. The surgeons had to put in maximum effort, since there was no possibility to edit or cut the live video of the surgery. 

"This is an important event in the field of ophthalmology on an international level, therefore a unique one. This is fourth year in a row for the Eye Clinic Svjetlost, to participate at this event and compete for the ''Best Live Surgery Award''.  Although last year we have won the ophthalmology Oscar, this year, however, we have surpassed our own expectations with five surgeries performed in 60 minutes, almost half an hour shorter than scheduled.  I have performed my surgery in four minutes, and my other colleagues have also outperformed their results from last year.  We always put quality before quantity, that is why we concentrated more on quality performance, than the time frame. We are awaiting for the jury to decide on this year's winner, but due to very strong competition, we already feel like winners only by participating at this prestigious event'' prof. Gabrić said.

The results of this year's Best Live Surgery Award winner will be announced soon, by the jury in Milan.  The title is currently still held by the Eye Clinic Svjetlost, which won the prize in 2015. This year the Clinic competed with CAMO Clininic from Milan, eye clinics from Munich, Cuneo (Italy) and Athens.   

Along with five surgeries performed during  the ''Best Live Surgey Award'', additional five surgeries in liver stream were performed by ophthalmology surgeons from both public and private clinics in Croatia. These other five surgeries were live streamed during the 12th annual Meeting of the Croatian Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery, which gathered over 300 best ophthalmologist in Croatia and the SEE region. During this meeting, participants were given the chance to view live stream of the surgeries, listen to the novelties in the field of ophthalmology and practice their surgical skills on pig's eyes in the WET-Lab organized for young doctors.  

During the meeting two awards have been presented to young ophthalmologists for best free papers by the profs. Ljiljana Zergollern Čupak and Krešimir Čupak Foundation: Vernesa Sofić Drino, MD (Eye Clinic Svjetlost Sarajevo) and Marijana Bilen Babić, MD (KBC Rijeka.