In December of 2018, Dr. Kokame was an invited speaker to the 12th annual Asian Pacific Vitreous and Retina Society (APVRS) and the International Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy (PCV) Forum in Seoul, Korea.
The International PCV Forum consisted of experts in PCV from around the world and was organized by Professor Tomohiro Iida of Tokyo, Japan, Professor Won Ki Lee of Seoul, Korea, and Fumi Gomi of Osaka, Japan. This forum was created with the goal of PCV experts to come together and share knowledge and present their studies on this PCV and to help guide the future research into this subtype of exudative age-related macular degeneration.
Dr. Kokame was asked to speak on his experience and knowledge of PCV in the USA in the session “A global perspective: Epidemiology, diagnostic challenges and treatment patterns in PCV”. Other experts were able to discuss their findings in their part of their world.
At the APVRS meeting, Dr. Kokame was a co-chair of the session on The Spectrum of Pachychoroid Disease. This session highlighted diseases associated with a thick choroid, including pachychoroid neovasculopathy, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, and central serous chorioretinopathy. Dr. Kokame’s presentation was entitled, “New Findings on Anti-VEGF Resistance in PCV.” Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy characterized by aneurysmal or polypoidal lesions in the subretinal neovascular complex were shown to have increased anti-VEGF resistance compared to eyes with typical wet AMD. This is important as there is alternative effective therapy for PCV with combined photodynamic therapy and anti-VEGF injection, which can improve visual results and lessen treatment burden.