The University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences was pleased to host the first Electrophysiology of Vision Conference earlier this fall.

Learners from several academic medical centers across the country attended the two-day skills transfer course which offered instruction on how to perform, as well as interpret, electrodiagnostic studies. The course was unique in that in addition to lectures it was hands-on, with opportunities to perform testing on volunteer “patients" using pediatric-friendly techniques developed here at UI.

Emphasis was placed on the basic aspects of electrophysiology including waveform interpretation and reporting. Detailed examples of using electrophysiology in the diagnosis of inherited retinal disease versus phenocopies was also provided.

The course was directed by Arlene Drack, MD, pediatric ophthalmologist and director of the Electroretinography, or ERG, Service. Conference coordination was managed by Wanda Pfeifer, O(C)C, COMT and Sajag Bhattarai, MS. Spark Therapeutics, Inc. provided funding support for the course.

Responses from participants were uniformly positive. Despite an early-season snowstorm that stranded several of the participants in Iowa for an extra day, one attendee said, "It was a great course, please offer it again. But next time, not in the winter."