Title: Decoding and localising voluntary gaze abnormalities based upon clinical examination in Multiple Sclerosis

Biography:

Amar Kulkarni is a consultant ophthalmologist and phaco surgeon working in Doctor Eye Institute, India. He has completed his ophthalmology from Mysore Medical College and MM Joshi Eye Institute, India. He is an expert phaco surgeon who has performed more than 4000 cataract surgeries and handles all kinds of complicated cases. He is a very quick surgeon and expert in handling mass cases. His other areas of work include neuro-ophthalmology and medical retina. He is a fellow of the International Council of Ophthalmology. He has presented papers in state conferences and has published papers in international and national journals. He is very passionate about his work and likes to keep himself updated regularly.

Abstract

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system leading to disability, especially in young patients. Acute or chronic lesions of MS within the brainstem and the cerebellum frequently results in ocular motor diseases. Eye movement disorders have the potential of being utilised as structural and functional biomarkers of early cognitive deficit and possibly help in assessing disease status and progression. Early detection of gaze palsies aids in diagnosis of various demyelinating conditions. This is also an important aspect of follow up examination as relapse, chronicity can be diagnosed with careful examination of gaze movements. The proper identification of voluntary gaze abnormality on clinical examination allows to map out site of demyelination and make neuroimaging precise and easier.