As an eye care institution which can take justifiable pride in its stellar role in identifying ophthalmic Anaesthesia as a specialized field and developing it as a niche specialty in India, Sankara Nethralaya was honoured to conduct the specialty’s key annual meet, the ‘World Congress of Ophthalmic Anaesthesia’ (WCOA) in collaboration with the apex body for ophthalmic anaesthesia, the ‘British ophthalmic Anaesthesia Society’ (BOAS) at Chennai. The curtains went up on the 4th WCOA at the Sri V.D. Swami Auditorium at the Sankara Nethralaya main campus on the 2nd of September 2016, the prelude to the event helped Dr V.V. Jaichandran, Chief Organizing Secretary from the host institution give a brief on the WCOA and the objectives of its 4th edition to be held in Chennai in the following two days to the media and to the large gathering assembled on the occasion.

The two day scientific session opened on the 3rd of September 2016 to a packed conference hall at the ITC Grand Chola, a total of 10 national and 25 international faculty members registered for the event and the attendees comprising ophthalmologists, optometrists and anaesthetists were from across the world. The two day session was addressed by eminent professionals from diverse backgrounds and specializations; they were of a highly interactive nature and evoked lively debates and discussions. The sub-tenon’s workshop using goat’s eye and hands on practice simulation won high appreciation as a great learning experience. A riveting audio visual presentation on effective administration of anaesthesia to animals consisting of domestic pets like dogs, cats and birds to large wild animals like the lion, for performing various ophthalmic processes, by Prof Ramani from the Madras Veterinary College held the audience in total fascination. The presenter expressed her thanks to Dr. SS.Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus and Dr. Lingam Gopal, Senior Consultant, Sankara Nethralaya for their invaluable inputs in setting up the operation theatre at the veterinary college many years ago.

Dr.M.Janani from the Sankara Nethralaya referral laboratory and Mr. Nimal Kumar from the IIT-Madras won the 1st and 2nd prize in the ‘Free Paper Presentation’, it is noteworthy to mention here that both the papers were co-authored by Dr.V.V.Jaichandran, Senior Anaesthesiologist, Sankara Nethralaya and Chief Organizing Secretary of the highly successful WCOA-2016.