This volume of Documenta Ophthalmologica Proceedings Series collects the
scientific papers presented at the 2nd International Symposium on
Retinal Pigment Epithelium and the 4th Meeting of the European Macula
Group held in Genoa, May 29-June 1, 1996. The Symposium on Retinal
Pigment Epithelium was promoted by the University Eye Clinic of Genoa as
the natural continuation of the first Symposium held with great success
in Genoa in 1988. The previous Meetings of the European Macula Group
were held in Coimbra (1988), Crete (1989) and Athens (1994). I was
greatly pleased and honoured to host the fourth congress of this
distinguished Society and I am grateful to Gabriel Coscas, Jose
Cunha-Vaz and George Theodossiadis, found- ers of the Society, for
selecting Genoa on this occasion. The two meetings integrated well in an
unicuum and brought together an exceptional number of outstanding
retinal specialists coming from all over the world. All the aspects of
the current research concerning retinal pigment epithelial and macular
diseases were covered. Several interesting presentations regarded new
techniques of retinal and choroidal imaging. A full session was
dedicated to the latest advances in culture and transplantation of
retinal pigment epithelial cells. Age-related macular degeneration was a
major subject for discussion, including new approaches to treatment.
This topic was high- lighted by a mini-symposium on drusen, including a
series of superb lectures on classification, clinicopathological
studies, indocyanine green imaging, and laser treatment for prevention
of choroidal neovascularization.
