Eyes on October 2026: AAO and EURETINA highlights, a trio of FDA approvals, and optogenetics takes the spotlight

October was a month of meetings. It opened with the last of the EURETINA 2026 coverage from Vienna, where gene therapy, sustained delivery, and real-world evidence led the conversation. Then came the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting in New Orleans, which produced a flood of retina, cataract, uveitis, and thyroid eye disease data. Around the meetings, the FDA cleared three new options, a low-dose atropine drop for pediatric myopia went before an advisory committee, a Nobel Prize recognized the science behind optogenetic vision restoration, and World Sight Day and Inflammatory Eye Disease Week turned attention to access and to inflammation.