Congress programme

Welcome to the Royal College of Ophtalmologists Annual Congress 2026 in Manchester Central.

9-9.05am
President’s welcome – Professor Ben Burton

9.05-9.20am
College achievements

9.05-9.10am
College journals – Professor Harminder Dua

9.10-9.15am
College guidelines – TBC

9.15-9.20am Jack Kanski Award – Will Dean

9.20-9.35am
President Handover – Professor Ben Burton & Mr Mohamed Elalfy

9.35-10am
John Ellis – Opening ceremony keynote speaker

Strabismus for exams (and life)

Getting it right first time Best practice operational strategy for glaucoma services

Ocular toxicities secondary to systemic therapeutic agents

National Insights and Impact Rare eye disease surveillance and future research through BOSU

Young vitreoretinal surgical rounds Learning from other’s mistakes

Coffee and posters

Rb-NET The impact of the largest global health collaboration

Blame, blind spots and breakthroughs Are we really using safety and audit data to improve?

Joint session with the College of Optometrists

Horizon Scanning: ocular diseases with systemic association From bench to bedside

The dry eye patient journey Pearls for navigating the options of care

Lunch

AI for automatic disease detection A primer for ophthalmic clinicians

To look at the evolution in various aspects of ophthalmology

The African Ophthalmology Council (AOC) symposium A showcase of pan-African excellence in research, training, and best practices

British Oculoplastic Surgery Society (BOPSS) satellite session Just what is it that makes today’s oculoplastics so different, so appealing?

Survive, grow, thrive The years as a new ophthalmology consultant

OTG symposium

Tea and posters

Sickle retinopathy workshop Screening, diagnostics and treatments

Demystifying UFOOs A practical skills session for ophthalmology trainees

Automating the cataract care pathway From community referral to post-operative outcomes

Rapid Fire

Poster presentations

SAS breakfast forum

Reading the retina Tips and tricks for interpreting images across pathologies.

Paediatric and infantile cataract in 2026? How can we improve detection, diagnosis, surgical management, complication rates and visual outcomes.

Masters of vitreoretinal surgery Innovations, strategies and expert insight.

GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) Mechanisms, systemic benefits, and ophthalmic safety – what every ophthalmologist should know.

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists Annual General Meeting

The advanced clinical practitioner (ACP) in ophthalmology A strategic response to workforce challenges

Emergencies of the orbit and adnexa Recognition and multidisciplinary management

A roadmap for early recognition and efficient management of sight-threatening infectious uveitis A case-based discussion

Cataract services Who are they serving?

Rapid Fire

Lunch

Bowman Lecture – Professor Jugnoo Rahi

Title: Deciphering childhood vision impairment: stories of population health discovery science

Professor Jugnoo Rahi FMedSci is a clinician scientist with a track record for innovative discovery science and research translation to reduce the burden and impacts of the causes of blindness that afflict 81 million children worldwide and confer an enormous burden on affected individuals, their families and the societies in which they live. As the UK’s first Professor of Ophthalmic Epidemiology she has led the establishment and development of this scientific discipline, partly by founding the Vision and Eyes Group at UCL which is now an internationally leading multi-disciplinary and multi-professional group with an unusually broad scientific portfolio. The group’s research bridges ophthalmology, paediatrics, public health, and population health sciences. And it looks ‘both ways’: addressing both the causes and the consequences of rare and common eye diseases; alongside investigating the determinants of visual health and well-being and of visual disability.  Highly cited, their research has shaped clinical care and policies internationally. Much of it has been undertaken by establishing enduring clinical research networks that are unique to the UK – reflecting the highly naturally and highly collaborative spirit of clinicians in this subspecialty in the UK – and this has enabled landmark studies and their rapid translation.

Using apps to bridge the gaps Evaluating emerging technologies in the primary /secondary interface in eyecare

Paediatric certification of visual impairment What every ophthalmologist needs to know

Building the future of clinical eye research NIHR vision for success through digital interoperability

Management of ophthalmic trauma in conflict

OTG symposium

Tea and posters

State of the art management of diabetic macular oedema

Surgical strategies for the failing corneal graft Innovations beyond repeat PK

Recreational drugs and the eye From acute toxicity to long-term impact

The emerging value of SupraChoroidal therapies Focus on glaucoma

Albinism Best practice for ophthalmologists

Poster presentations

Recognising and managing uncertainty in clincial practice

Vision for life Harnessing lifestyle to prevent and manage eye disease.

Medico legal session

Cataract surgery in eyes with corneal pathology From pre-assessment to surgical pearls

What I wish I knew Early lessons from the vitreoretinal frontline

Coffee and posters

Managing diabetic retinopathy, uveitis and other chorioretinal conditions in pregnancy

Cataract surgery in patients living with dementia

Can I divorce my colleagues? Managing breakdown in departmental relationships

Advances in proteomics and metabolomics Transforming ophthalmology research

Angle closure glaucoma Current treatment paradigms

SAS forum

Edridge Green lecture – Professor Conor Murphy

Vision screening under review: need, equity, and evolution

Ophthalmic study design Tips and pitfalls

Artificial intelligence in ophthalmology Evidence from patient communication and education

Island ophthalmology Delivering eye care in remote and isolated communities

Interactive ocular oncology cases quiz (until 4pm)

Tea and posters

Breaking barriers Addressing diversity, ethnicity, and inequalities in ophthalmology

More than meets the bag Everything you didn’t know about the Zonule

AI is everywhere, but novices can be left behind This session will give AI beginners the tools to understand, use, and critically assess AI in practice

Myopia Evidence-based assessment and management of myopic children in 2026

Case conundrums retina and uveitis