The 2025 ASCRS annual meeting will take place April 25-28 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The ASOA Annual Meeting—for ophthalmic practice management education—will run in conjunction with ASCRS.

In a statement from the ASCRS regarding the 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires, the organization said it maintains its commitment to bringing the annual Meeting to downtown Los Angeles, which was spared the direct, physical impact of the recent fires. In doing so, ASCRS and its attendees are proud to play a small part bolstering the city economically at a time when it faces a significant economic recovery effort.

Additionally, the ASCRS website stresses that any public space where other people are present holds an inherent risk of exposure to communicable diseases, such as COVID. Attendees must agree to take necessary precautions while at the event, including (but not limited to) following all state and local regulations and the guidance of the CDC. Participants must also agree not to attend any ASCRS or ASOA event if they feel ill, had recent exposure to a COVID case, or have tested positive for COVID within the last 7 days.

Here are the highlights from this year’s schedule:

FRIDAY, APRIL 25

• Friday on the Main Stage: Features interviews with the incoming and outgoing ASCRS president; the ASCRS Hall of Fame ceremony; and the 2025 Cornelius D. Binkhorst, MD, Lecture and Medal, which will be delivered by Ronald Yeoh, MD.

• ASCRS Subspecialty Day: ASCRS Cornea Day will feature the following sessions: Fuchs Corner – Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going; Office-Based Cornea; Complex Surgical Cornea (Video Case Review); Severe Ocular Surface Disease Corner; and Dry Eye Corner. The 2025 program also includes the inaugural Edward J. Holland, MD, Lecture, featuring Dr. Holland and honoring his work in advancing the field of cornea. Program co-chairs are Marjan Farid, MD, and Francis Mah, MD.
  
  Refractive Day will focus on understanding patients’ lifelong refractive journey. It will feature the following sessions: Corneal Refractive Diagnostics and Treatments – Integrating Current and Future Technology – “1.21 gigawatts, What the [heck] is a gigawatt?”; Steinert Lecture – Remembering and Learning From 30 Years of the Excimer Laser – “The flux capacitor … it’s what makes time travel possible”; Cataract Refractive Surgery – Past, Present, and Future – “If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you’re gonna see some serious [stuff]”; Pearls from Five Decades of Cataract and Refractive Surgery – “If you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?”; and Wildest Refractive Complications Videos – “Great Scott!” Program co-chairs are Daniel Chang, MD, and George Waring IV, MD.
  
  Glaucoma Day will feature an ASCRS/AGS Joint Symposium; sessions on Glaukomtecken – The Latest and Greatest in Glaucoma Diagnostics; as well as Medications, Lasers and Lifestyle – Strategies to treat glaucoma, from lifestyle modifications to medication use to laser therapy. The session will also focus on the wellbeing of patients and surgeons to diminish risks over time and will feature a Surgical Spotlight; the Stephen A. Obstbaum, MD, Honored Lecture; and the 15th Annual Video Session: Complications and a Reay of Hope. Program co-chairs are Nate Radcliffe, MD, and Manjool Shah, MD.

SATURDAY, APRIL 26

• Saturday on the Main Stage: Damien Gatinel, MD, PhD, will deliver the 2025 Charles D. Kelman, MD, Innovator’s Lecture.

SUNDAY, APRIL 27

• Sunday on the Main Stage: This Main Stage event will include guest speaker William Flanary, MD, (a.k.a. Dr. Glaucomflecken), sponsored by the ASCRS Government Relations Clinical Committee; and the ASCRS Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, Lecture, to be delivered by Reza Dana, MD, MSc, MPH.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

• The ASCRS Foundation announced the recipient of the 2025 ASCRS Foundation Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award: Elena Barraquer, MD. Additionally, the Foundation is honoring the late Michael Colvard, MD, (1947–2024) by naming him a co-recipient of the 2023 Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award with his longtime mentee and Namibian partner, Helena Ndume, MD. Both will be formally recognized at the ASCRS Annual Meeting. (Date/Time TBD)

NEW AT ASCRS 2025:

• SightLine at ASCRS will be held Thursday, April 24, ahead of the ASCRS Annual Meeting. Programming 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. at the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown Hotel. This event is designed to galvanize key leaders to strategize and ideate solutions for the most pressing issues facing the business of ophthalmology. It will also examine the state of financial health of the ophthalmic space and what steps need to be taken to improve the outlook for various stakeholders. Find agenda specifics here or register here to attend.

• BRiCS Breakfast Symposium (ahead of ASCRS Refractive Day): This session will preview the Business of Refractive Cataract Surgery (BRiCS) Summit and serve as the kickoff for Refractive Day. Industry interested in learning more about BRiCS is invited to attend this event.

• Get H.I.P.: This program comprises four new sessions, each focusing on one area: cataract, cornea, glaucoma, and refractive. Each session will feature “High Impact Pearls” presented in 16 or more short videos submitted by ASCRS members (for a total of 64-plus videos).

• Exhibit Hall: The ASCRS Exhibit Hall (South Hall) now opens on Friday, April 25, for ASCRS Subspecialty Day. The Exhibit Hall will be closed Monday, April 28.

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 

• Cutting-Edge Sessions will take place from April 25-27. The sessions will cover a range of topics, such as artificial intelligence, digital visualization, technological advancement, precision medicine, telehealth and surgical guidance.

• Skills Transfer Labs are taught by expert faculty and cover the areas of cornea, advanced cataract techniques, surgical glaucoma management, and more. The labs for attendees run throughout the main program of the meeting, April 26-28.

• Young Eye Surgeons (YES) Skills Transfer Labs will take place all day on Friday, April 25, with several opportunities that include: Phaco Lab, MIGS Lab, DALK Lab, DMEK/DSAEK Lab, and Yamane lab, plus a new Refractive lab on April 26. There will also be practice rooms that are phaco-focused for those who are registered for labs (faculty will be on hand).

• YES Programming: An entire day of programming, specifically for YES attendees, will take place on Saturday, April 26. The day will begin with networking and a meeting kickoff, followed by the first YES symposium, “Good to Great Surgeon: Working through Complications.” The afternoon will include the annual YES Networking Lunch with ASCRS leadership, followed by a second symposium, “Toolkit for Job Success,” and a residents and fellows papers/posters session. There will also be a YES Connect Networking Happy Hour (Date/Time TBD); and YES Connect Industry Dinners (Date/Time TBD).

Registration for residents and US fellows is free and heavily discounted for YES members in their first 5 years of practice.

• ASCRS ASOA Party for a Purpose will be held on Friday, April 25 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. at The Novo at L.A. Live. This year’s theme is “Hollywood.” Dress like old Hollywood or a modern-day celebrity ready to walk the red carpet (Hollywood-inspired attire is optional). The event is open to all ASCRS, ASOA, industry/exhibitor attendees and their guests. Admission is free (with your badge). Proceeds from this event will support the ASCRS Foundation.

• The 43rd ASCRS Film Festival will be held on Sunday, April 27, at 5:15 p.m. at the ASCRS Annual Meeting. Winners will be announced during a reception and awards ceremony honoring the best filmmakers and film producers in ophthalmology.

• The ASCRS Tap Room will return as a popular gathering spot for networking, socializing, and non-CME learning opportunities.

• Complimentary Box Lunches will be provided in the Exhibit Hall on Friday, April 25, from 12:00-1:30 p.m., and Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27, from 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Grab a bite while networking with industry and colleagues.

• The Wellness Lounge, located in the back of the Exhibit Hall, will provide a space where attendees can feed their mind, body and soul with daily activities.

• Headshot Lounge: Attendees can have a complimentary headshot taken by a professional photographer.

For more, visit the ASCRS meeting website at https://annualmeeting.ascrs.org.