Program & Schedule

2026 Annual Meeting Schedule

May 3 - 7 | Denver, Colo.

View the Schedule-at-a-Glance

Saturday, May 2: All-Access Saturday/ ARVO Foundation Gala & Benefit Concert

All-Access Saturday — 8am - 5pm
One registration fee; access to all Saturday sessions (includes breakfast and lunch)

• Education Sessions
  • Bench to Bedside — Nonclinical development and new approach methodologies (NAMs)
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)— Data science, real-world implementation, setting up an AI lab and AI-aided research
• Imaging in the Eye — Poster and paper sessions discussing new techniques and methods, and their clinical and vision research applications

ARVO Foundation Gala — 7:30 - 10pm

• Celebrate our Silver Anniversary at the ARVO Foundation Gala & Benefit Concert hosted at the stunning Buell Theatre. Gala tickets include dinner plus premium seating for a special Benefit Concert featuring Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum artist Gavin DeGraw.

Sunday, May 3

8 - 9:45am — Posters
8 - 10am — Symposia
8:30am - 5pm — Exhibits Open
10:15 - 11:45am — ARVO+Genentech Keynote Session: Thomas R. Cech, PhD
Noon - 1pm

• Special Session — The National Eye Institute in 2026: What You Should Know
• Break/Special Events
  1 - 2:45pm
• Papers/ Minisymposia
• Posters
  3:15 - 5pm
• Papers/ Minisymposia
• Posters
  5:15 - 6:15pm — All Posters
  7:30 - 10:30pm — ARVO Sunday Social (Tickets required; proceeds benefit the ARVO Foundation)

Monday, May 4

8 - 9:15am — Proctor Medal Lecture : José-Alain Sahel, MD, FARVO
8:30am - 5pm — Exhibits Open
9:15 - 10am — Friedenwald Award Lecture : Val C. Sheffield, MD, PhD; Edwin M. Stone, MD, PhD, FARVO
10:15 - 11am — Section Business Meetings
11:15am - 1pm

• Papers/ Minisymposia
• Posters
  1:15 - 2:45pm — Break/Special Events
  3 - 4:30pm—Special Session— Understanding the NIH grant application process from pre-submission to post award
  3 - 4:45pm
• Papers/ Minisymposia/ Cross-sectional Session
• Posters
  5 - 6pm — All Posters
  6:15 - 7:45pm — Travel Grant Social

Tuesday, May 5

7 - 8:30am — Breakfast with the Experts
8:30 - 10:15am

• Papers/ Minisymposia
• Posters
  8:30am - 5pm — Exhibits Open
  10:30 - 11:15am— General Business Meeting
  11:30am - 1pm
• WEAVR Luncheon (Tickets required; proceeds benefit the ARVO Foundation)
• Break/Special Events
  1:15 - 3pm
• Papers/ Minisymposia/ Cross-sectional Session
• Posters
  3:30 - 5:15pm
• Papers/ Minisymposia
• Posters
  5:30 - 6:30pm
• All Posters
  5:30 - 7pm
• MIT Poster Competition
  6:30 - 8:15pm— Eye Pitch

Wednesday, May 6

8:30 - 9:15am — Weisenfeld Award Lecture : Nisha Acharya, MD
8:30am - 5pm — Exhibits Open
9:15 - 10am — Cogan Award Lecture : Cecilia S. Lee, MD, MS; Aaron Y. Lee, MD, MSCI
10:15am - Noon

• Papers/ Minisymposia
• Posters
  12:15 - 1:45pm — Break/Special Events
  2 - 3:45pm
• Papers/ Minisymposia/ Cross-sectional Session
• Posters
  4 - 5pm — All Posters
  5:15 - 6:30pm — Special Session — From discovery to patients: Overcoming translational barriers in vision research
  8pm - Midnight — ARVO Karaoke (Tickets required; proceeds benefit the ARVO Foundation)

Thursday, May 7

8 - 9:45am — Posters
8 - 10am — Symposia
10:15 - 11:30am — ARVO+Genentech Keynote Session: Sally Temple, PhD
11:45am - 1:30pm

• Papers/ Minisymposia
• Posters
  2 - 3:45pm
• Papers/ Minisymposia
• Posters
  4 - 5pm
• All Posters
• San Diego 2027 Kickoff

Lectures

ARVO 2026 Lectures

ARVO+Genentech Keynote Series](/content/annual-meeting/program-schedule/lectures/arvo-genentech-keynote-series/index.html)

Award Lectures](/content/annual-meeting/award-lectures/index.html)