Emami-Naeini previews AI, imaging advances for Retina Society 2026

Ahead of the Retina Society's 59th Annual Scientific Meeting, running September 23 to 26, 2026, at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, Parisa Emami-Naeini, MD, MPH, previewed the themes she expects to shape this year's program.

Imaging and AI move toward actionable biomarkers

Emami-Naeini said the meeting reflects how quickly the retina field is shifting from descriptive imaging toward quantitative, actionable biomarkers. Dedicated imaging and artificial intelligence (AI) sessions anchor the program, she noted, but machine learning and AI applications run throughout it—from optical coherence tomography (OCT)-derived biomarkers for disease monitoring to clinical trial design and applications. A translational track will also cover sustained drug delivery, gene therapy, and other approaches aimed at reducing treatment burden. Emami-Naeini said she is most interested in how better imaging and computational tools can help measure disease more precisely and personalize treatment for patients.

AI's next step: quantitative, reproducible measurement

Asked what feels most significant in imaging and AI-driven diagnostics this year, Emami-Naeini said the field is moving beyond image and disease classification. The more pressing question, she said, is whether quantitative biomarkers can be extracted from routinely acquired clinical images to reflect disease biology, predict outcomes, or measure treatment response. Rather than simply flagging disease presence or absence, she said AI should provide reproducible measurements that clinicians can use longitudinally in practice.

Defining success

For Emami-Naeini, a successful meeting means leaving with a clear sense of which innovations in imaging, AI, therapeutics, and drug delivery are genuinely ready to change patient care, whether by improving decision-making, reducing disease and treatment burden, or enabling more meaningful, longitudinal disease measurement. She added that she hopes to see the field continue moving toward objective, validated biomarkers that can be used consistently across centers and serve as endpoints in clinical trials.