Vienna calling: Inside the 26th EURETINA Congress

The 26th EURETINA Congress will convene retina specialists from around the world at the VIECON – Vienna Congress & Convention Center from 1 to 4 October. In her welcome message for the congress, EURETINA president Nicole Eter described it as the largest retina meeting in the world, with more than 140 nationalities represented among attendees.

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What’s new this year

This year’s congress introduces World Retina @ EURETINA, a new networking space and international stage running across all four days, alongside a revamped Free Paper Forum stage and a dedicated Poster Theatre (listed on the congress programme as the “Poster Hub”).

Pre-congress, on Wednesday, 30 September, EURETINA hosts the 4th FEBOS-R EURETINA Exam and the 4th annual EURETINA Innovation Spotlight (EIS) meeting at VIECON. Per Eter’s welcome message, EIS drew more than 800 registrations last year and brings together clinical, research and industry communities across a six-hour programme of panel discussions and presentations from industry leaders, biomedical innovators, regulators and investors.

Day-by-day highlights

Thursday, 1 October, opens with morning sessions on posterior uveitis and multimodal imaging, alongside courtesy meetings from the European Academy of Ophthalmology, the Ukrainian Ophthalmology Society, DOG & SFO, the Turkish Ophthalmological Association, the German-Arab Society of Ophthalmology, Club Jules Gonin and the Spanish Retina & VR Society. EURETINA scientific sessions that day cover neovascular macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy/DME, alongside instructional courses on the tumour course’s vascular tumours and lymphoma module and a joint EURETINA-ESCRS session. The day closes with the Opening Ceremony, EURETINA Lecture and August Deutman Awards at 16:15.

Friday, 2 October, opens with the EURETINA Retina Run, a charity 5K along with wetlabs on basic vitrectomy. The scientific programme continues with sessions on tumours and inherited retinal disease, courtesy meetings from the Malaysian Society of Ophthalmology, Ecuadorian VR Society, Mexican Retina Association and Korean Retina Society, plus the EURETINA Mentorship Session, the EURETINA Debate, the Kreissig Lecture, the IAPB Gisbert Richard Lecture and the first two parts of the EURETINA-EBO Subspecialty Exam Course. A EURETINA session on clinical trial results and late-breaking news runs at midday, alongside a session marking ten years of the Carlevale IOL. Afternoon wet labs cover complicated cataract surgery with dropped lens, and the day includes RETINAWS in the afternoon, the Retina World Congress announcement and closes with an awards ceremony.

Saturday, 3 October, opens with the Women in Retina Breakfast at 7:45, followed by the new WSPOS x EURETINA Paediatric Retina Day, a one-day programme in Hall A, Room 4. It is open to all congress delegates registered for the full meeting; a separate registration is also available for WSPOS delegates attending only that day. The day also brings the International Retina Panel; courtesy meetings from the Taiwan Retina Society, Retina Society of Singapore, Egyptian VR Society, African Retina Society, Japanese Retina & Vitreous Society and Canadian Retina Society; YOURS programming (Coffee, Cookies and Mystery Cases; Science Slam; Rising Stars; the Ophthalmologica Lecture); a fellowship career-planning clinic; and EURETINA sessions on non-neovascular macular degeneration, artificial intelligence and robotics. Wet labs that day cover basic vitrectomy and intraocular tamponades.

Sunday, 4 October, is a shorter closing day, running into early afternoon. It features courtesy meetings from GIVRE, SFO, the World ROP Council, the Italian Retina Society, BEAVRS and the Greek VR Society, plus EURETINA sessions on diabetic retinopathy and vascular disease and on retinal imaging, along with an InTRIS Symposium on the future of retinal imaging and a session on intraoperative OCT and robotic-assisted eye surgery, before wrapping with a Congress Highlights session around 12:45.

Satellite symposia and side events

Running alongside the main scientific programme, dozens of industry-sponsored satellite symposia take place Thursday through Saturday, timed around breakfast, midday and evening slots. Topics span continuous drug delivery and next-generation Ang-2/VEGF dual inhibition in neovascular AMD, intravitreal gene therapy with 4D-150, the PRIMA retinal implant in geographic atrophy, ultra-widefield and ultra-high-axial-resolution imaging, AI-guided decision-making in retinal care and biosimilars, among other subjects. Chairpersons listed across the satellite programme include A. Khanani (USA), F. Holz (Germany), U. Schmidt-Erfurth (Austria), A. Loewenstein (Israel), S. Sadda (USA), I. Pearce (UK), M. Bolz (Austria), R. Gale (UK), L. Kodjikian (France), G. Cheung (Singapore), R. Dolz-Marco (Spain), T. Aslam (UK), V. Sheth (USA), P. Stanga (UK) and R. Singh (USA).

Also on the calendar: the EuroVeRsion International Surgical Video Case Contest, running as part of the Friday programme, and the EURETINA Delegate Party, with tickets purchasable online in advance or during congress registration.

Registration, travel and sustainability

Early-bird pricing has closed; late-fee registration remains open through 30 September, 23:59 CEST, with onsite registration available from 1 October. Delegates can register for in-person attendance in Vienna or for virtual-only access, with virtual access to the meeting platform running through 31 December 2026. EURETINA members receive discounted rates, trainees under 40 qualify for reduced fees with verification, and delegates from Research4Life Group A and B countries are eligible for free or reduced registration.

For travel, EURETINA is promoting Vienna’s rail connections, with a discounted Austrian Rail (ÖBB) fare available to all attendees, alongside free onsite bike rental during the congress.

EURETINA is aiming to organize this year’s congress to the criteria of the Austrian Ecolabel for Green Meetings for the first time. Initiatives include meat-free catering at official events, reduced exhibition carpeting and printing, digital signage in place of paper posters, water refill stations in place of single-use bottles and a hybrid format allowing delegates to join sessions by livestream. A public sustainability report, including the congress’ carbon footprint, is planned for release after the meeting concludes.