By OIga Aprianti Lee, SIECRC
The macula or macula lutea (from Latin macula, “spot” + lutea, “yellow”) is an oval-shaped pigmented area in the centre of the retina, the light-sensitive layer lining inside the back portion of a human eye.
The macula is about 5.5 mm in diameter. It can be visualised through the pupil during ophthalmoscopy or retinal photography. It is responsible for central, high-resolution, colour vision. Central vision becomes impaired when the macula is damaged. This may be caused by a number of eye diseases.
There have been advances in the management of macular diseases including new techniques, drugs, surgical instruments, and at the most fundamental level, on our understanding of molecular biology. New data from clinical trials also provide guidance on how certain macular diseases are best treated with our current knowledge. These issues were the focus of the Macula Symposium, organised by the Macula Society and Singapore National Eye Centre, on 10-11 June 2017 at The Academia, Singapore General Hospital.
Retinal specialists Dr Au Eong Kah Guan and Dr Ajeet Madhav Wagle from International Eye Cataract Retina Centre attended the two-day symposium which saw many international delegates from countries in the region and further afield.
The Macula Symposium featured several keynote lectures by world-renowned retinal specialists such as Professor Neil Bressler, Chief, Retina Division, The Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital and Dr Richard F. Spaide, Consultant Ophthalmologist, Vitreous Retina Macula Consultants of New York. The lectures included updates on age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, myopic macular degeneration, retinal vascular diseases, macular telangiectasia and retinal imaging. Interesting clinical cases with diagnostic and treatment dilemmas were also discussed.
