Diabetic retinopathy and telemedicine research wins fellowship award

Pictured at the Fellowship presentation (left to right) Prof Peter Wiedemann (ICO President), Neeru Gupta (ICO Vice President), Dr Matias Iglicki and Prof Berthold Seitz (ICO Director of Fellowships) A panel of leading experts has selected ground-breaking research into diabetic retinopathy and telemedicine as the winner of this year’s International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) and Allergan Fellowship. Dr Matias Iglicki from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina is the second recipient of the ICO-Allergan Fellowship Award. The award of a $50,000 grant, announced at the 2019 European Society of Ophthalmology meeting in Nice, France, will enable Dr Iglicki to continue his research into diabetic retinopathy and telemedicine, which he has been working on since 2004. More specifically, Dr Iglicki will be refining his detection algorithm and further exploring the function of artificial intelligence for early detection and better treatment outcomes in diabetic retinopathy. “Ninety-three million people around the world are blinded as a result of diabetic retinopathy. Together, with Dinah Zur at Tel Aviv Medical Centre, we aim to improve our existing algorithm to identify diabetic retinopathy patients to support in reducing preventable blindness. We are confident that we can make this dream come true with this fellowship from the ICO,” said Dr Iglicki. The fellowship, now in its second year having launched in 2017, allows young ophthalmologists to continue their research at a university of their choice and is open to candidates from all countries, supporting innovative research that advances the scientific understanding and clinical management of ophthalmic disease worldwide. Last year’s inaugural winner Dr Emilio Torres-Netto, Brazil, received the award for his research in keratoconus at the University of Zurich.