AAO 2026 preview: Cataract and ocular surface sessions to watch

Cataract and ocular surface programming at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2026 Annual Meeting spans postoperative antibiotic strategy, IOL power calculation, drug-eluting IOL technology, and the management of painful and severe ocular surface disease. The meeting runs October 9 to 12 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, with Subspecialty Day on October 9 and 10 and the annual meeting program from October 10 to 12.¹

Podium poster sessions on Friday, October 9, preview the week's anterior segment research. Nick Mamalis, MD, chairs the cataract session, and Vatinee Y. Bunya, MD, chairs the cornea and external disease session.

Which cataract and dry eye sessions are scheduled for Saturday at AAO 2026?

Saturday, October 10, features a phase 1/2 prospective, multicenter, randomized study comparing a bimatoprost drug pad-IOL system with timolol 0.5%, with Jeffrey A. Kammer, MD, as senior author. Steve A. Arshinoff, MD, leads an instruction course on the current evidence for pseudophakic endophthalmitis and how it compares with endophthalmitis after intravitreal injection. Divya Srikumaran, MD, moderates the Cornea Subspecialty Day session on ocular surface disease and dry eye.

Neal H. Shorstein, MD, leads a course on bringing dropless cataract surgery into practice, while John P. Berdahl, MD, chairs the Academy Café on cataract. Anat Galor, MD, MSPH, addresses the evaluation and management of painful dry eye symptoms, weighing nerve-driven against tear-driven disease.

Inder Paul Singh, MD, chairs a separate Academy Café on drop-free solutions across ophthalmology. Carol L. Karp, MD, leads an instruction course on ocular surface masqueraders and strategies to avoid missing them.

Cataract original papers on intracameral antibiotics and IOL power calculation

Also on Saturday, a paper with David Valdes, MD, as senior author compares light-evoked brain activation in patients with chronic ocular pain and in controls. Jeff H. Pettey, MD, MBA, chairs the Cataract Original Papers session later in the day.

The session opens with a systematic review and meta-analysis, led by Abdelrahman M. Anter, MBBCh, on anterior capsule polishing for the prevention of posterior capsule opacification and capsular fibrosis. Research led by Daniel Fraser, MD, follows with an analysis of preoperative glycemic control and incident macular edema after cataract surgery.

IOL power calculation is the focus of back-to-back papers. A study led by Seth M. Pantanelli, MD, compares refractive error prediction using community-optimized vs manufacturer-recommended lens constants. Work led by Hongfang Yang, MD, PhD, examines a systematic myopic shift and the limited benefit of constant optimization in primary angle-closure disease.

A paper led by Zain Chauhan, MD, then asks whether topical antibiotics remain necessary after intracameral prophylaxis. The session closes with an analysis of Medicare Part B utilization and billing trends for secondary IOL procedures from 2013 to 2023, with Sophia Dutton, BA, listed as senior author.

Sunday and Monday sessions on cataract guidelines and severe ocular surface disease

On Sunday, October 11, Thomas A. Oetting, MD, chairs a symposium of cataract surgery case studies built around the Academy's Preferred Practice Pattern guideline. Jennifer H. Cao, MD, leads a course on paradigm shifts in the multidisciplinary diagnosis and management of cicatrizing conjunctivitis. Ilya M. Leyngold, MD, follows with a course on the background and technique of corneal neurotization for neurotrophic keratopathy.

On Monday, October 12, David F. Chang, MD, chairs Spotlight on Cataract, with faculty sharing their top pearls for phaco and IOL challenges. A paper with Chie Sotozono, MD, as senior author reports on hybrid transplantation of donor cornea combined with an autologous cultivated oral mucosal epithelial sheet in Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Shigeru Kinoshita, MD, leads an instruction course on advanced medical and surgical management of ocular surface disorders.

The full program and registration details are available at aao.org/annual-meeting.

REFERENCES

1. American Academy of Ophthalmology. AAO 2026 Annual Meeting program. Accessed October 1, 2026. https://www.aao.org/annual-meeting