ARVO | Special Sessions

Special Sessions

(all times are MT)

Friday, May 1

Registration: 7 - 8am Program: 8am - 5pm(Bluebird Ballroom)

Eyecelerator @ ARVO 2026

ARVO is a co-sponsor of the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Eyecelerator , a programuniting research, clinical, and business communities with a high-impact one-day live event focused on what’s next in ophthalmology. The event is held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado, before the ARVO Annual Meeting.

Registration includes:

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Sunday, May 3

Noon - 1pm(Bluebird Ballroom 1A)

The National Eye Institute in 2026: What You Should Know

Speakers: Michael F. Chiang, MD, FARVO, NEI Director; Santa Tumminia, PhD, NEI Deputy Director; Richard Lee, MD, PhD, NEI Clinical Director; Kapil Bharti, PhD, NEI Scientific Director; Sangeeta Bhargava, PhD, NEI Director of the Division of Extramural Science Programs (DESP); Anna Han, PhD, NEI Acting Director of the Division of Extramural Activities

Description:

Join National Eye Institute (NEI) leadership to hear about updates and emerging research priorities at the nation’s largest funder of vision research. A Q&A period will follow. This session will be very useful for researchers, clinicians, and trainees seeking to align their research programs with NEI priorities and stay informed about federal funding opportunities in vision science.

Monday, May 4

1:15 - 2:45pm(Bluebird Ballroom 2/3)

Transforming Data into Action to Achieve Population Eye Health in Diabetes

Speakers: Cindy Cai, MD; Anthea Burnett, PhD, MPH; Tunde Peto, MD, PhD, FARVO; K. Davina Frick, PhD; Premilla Banwait, OD, FAAO; Hossein Mousazadeh, PhD; Kira Baldonado, MPH

Moderators: Dean A. VanNasdale, OD, PhD; Rajeev S. Ramchandran, MD, MBA

Description:

Despite major advances in screening, imaging, and treatment, preventable vision loss from diabetes remains a significant public health challenge, especially in the U.S. In 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced it will remove having an eye exam, the eye health quality metric in the quality rating, as a requirement for a Medicare Advantage Program to achieve a STAR rating. This is despite Diabetic Eye Disease, namely diabetic retinopathy, but also the increased incidence of glaucoma and cataract in those with diabetes, still being the leading cause of blindness of the working age population in the U.S. and increasing across the world.

Moreover, programs such as teleophthalmology and population-based screening generate large volumes of data. However, gaps persist between the quality and focus of data generated on these interventions to improve follow-up care and achieve sustained health outcomes despite an improvement in process measures. Using diabetes as a central case study, this session focuses on obtaining actionable data from population-based, real-world interventions and programs and transforming these into realized actions that preserve and restore sight in those with diabetes.

The session begins with a presentation by Director of the National Eye Institute Michael Chiang, MD, FARVO, on the importance of data standardization in research to meaningfully compare interventions across various settings and populations, such as those to improve ocular health in those with diabetes.

3 - 4:30 pm(Room 4111)

Understanding the NIH Grant Application Process from Pre-submission to Post Award

Speakers: Charles Wright, Ph.D., and NEI program officers

Description:

Applying for NIH funding can be a time-consuming and challenging process at any career stage. This session is designed to support trainees, early-stage investigators, and established investigators by offering practical insight into the NIH funding landscape. Participants will have an opportunity to engage directly with NEI staff, ask questions and discuss NIH/NEI-supported funding opportunities, including training and career development, basic science, and translational and clinical research programs. Overall, this session aims to clearly communicate NIH funding priorities and empower participants with the knowledge and confidence needed to prepare competitive applications that ultimately eliminate vision loss and improve quality of life through vision research.

Wednesday, May 6

5:15 - 6:30pm(Bluebird Ballroom 1A)

From Discovery to Patients: Overcoming Translational Barriers in Vision Research

Organizers/Speakers: Sangeeta Bhargava, PhD, NEI Director of the Division of Extramural Science Programs (DESP); Richard Lee, MD, PhD, NEI Clinical Director; Kapil Bharti, PhD, NEI Scientific Director

Description:

This session will convene translational research leaders from academia, industry, and patient advocacy groups to identify and align on the critical translational barriers limiting the progression of vision research discoveries into clinical approved therapies. The discussion will span key unmet needs in ocular diseases and address challenges common across therapeutic modalities, including small molecules, biologics, devices, and cell and gene therapies.

Topics will include limitations of current disease models, gaps in biomarkers and clinical endpoints, manufacturing and scalability hurdles, regulatory uncertainty, and barriers to cross-sector collaboration. The goal is to move beyond merely cataloging challenges to developing actionable strategies that foster shared priorities and partnerships to accelerate delivery of safe, effective vision therapies to patients.