Each year, the International Ocular Surface Society invites a noted researcher in the field of ocular surface disease to deliver the Keynote Award Lecture at its annual meeting. This year, the honor went to Mary Ann Stepp, PhD, professor of anatomy and cell biology and of ophthalmology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Stepp’s lecture, “Intraepithelial Corneal Nerves and Dry Eye: Too Many, Too Few, or Too Depolarized?,” focused on the relationship between intraepithelial corneal nerves and sensory axons in the eye when it comes to dry eye, allergies, and aging, and how the ocular surface community will play a role in leading efforts in research. The International Ocular Surface Society met in Hawaii this year to discuss how to address new knowledge and skills for treating ocular surface disorders and to promote networking among participants.
