Sunir Garg, MD, FACS, previews retina highlights at AAO 2026

Clinical trial readouts in diabetic macular edema (DME) and dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are among the retina highlights at the 2026 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Annual Meeting, held October 10 to 12 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Retina Subspecialty Day runs across 2 days, October 9 and 10, ahead of the main meeting.

Sunir Garg, MD, FACS, chief of the retina service at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, previewed the retina content he plans to follow at the meeting. "There's going to be a lot of really interesting studies on some of the newest advances in our profession," Garg told Ophthalmology Times.

What new data in DME and dry AMD are expected at AAO 2026?

Garg pointed to a phase 2b/3 study evaluating a different way to treat DME by targeting the Wnt pathway, with results to be presented by his colleague Donald J. D'Amico, MD.

For dry AMD, Garg noted that clinicians have 2 FDA-approved treatments and that the meeting will feature 5-year data from some of those studies. "So I think that'll be very interesting and useful to the busy clinician," he said. Updates on investigational dry AMD therapies, including intravitreal injections, cell-based therapies, and gene therapies, are also on the program. Garg said these approaches "hold a lot of promise, not only improving upon the results that we're used to seeing, but making treatments a lot easier for our patients."

What surgical and free paper sessions are on the retina program?

Beyond pharmacotherapy, Garg said he looks forward to surgical programming and new tips and techniques. He highlighted the retina free paper sessions, which feature original work from investigators worldwide alongside clinical research program updates. "It's a great opportunity to have more in-depth conversations with the presenters run by expert panelists," he said. Garg also pointed to the many courses offered throughout the meeting.

Connecting beyond the subspecialty

Garg also described the meeting as a chance to reconnect with colleagues outside retina. "There are a ton of retina meetings, and that's one of the great things about my particular subspecialty," he said, adding that the AAO meeting brings together friends from residency and other training programs through alumni receptions and get-togethers. Garg said, "But that's one of the things that I value most about this meeting, in addition to learning on how to do my job better."