CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Cine-Med and Medical Conference Planners International. Cine-Med is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Physicians
Cine-Med designates this live activity for a maximum of 11.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Other Healthcare Professionals
All other healthcare professionals will receive a Certificate of Participation. For information on the applicability and acceptance of Certificates of Participation for activities designated for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, consult your professional licensing board.
AGENDA
(As of March 31, 2026)
Thursday, April 9 (non-CME)
8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Registration
Fellows and FOCUS Full Program
8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Fellows Program
Open to Fellows, Residents, and Fellows Program Sponsors Only
Capri 6-7
8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
FOstering Careers for Upcoming Stars (FOCUS) Program
Open to Residents and Medical Students by invitation only, and FOCUS Program Sponsors Only
Capri 6-7 & Capri 2-3
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wet Lab
Apellis Pharmaceuticals
Capri Promenade
VBS Silver Program
3:00 – 6:10 PM
VBS Silver
Program for vitreoretinal surgeons to discuss challenges and opportunities of late-career stage, such as transitioning to alternative career pathways, steps for physicians over age 50, and pearls of scientific wisdom to maintain best practices.
Open to all attendees.
Sponsored by Astellas, Genentech, Inc., & Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Capri 4-5
6:30 – 9:00 PM
Satellite Event: Fellows’ Foray - Surgical Video Challenge
Open to all attendees.
CME accredditation provided by Evolve Medical Education LLC (for this event only)
Azure 6, 9-10
9:00 – 10:00 PM
Welcome Reception
Open to all attendees.
Sponsored by EyePoint, Inc.
Capri 2-3
Friday, April 10
6:30 – 7:15 AM
Rise and Shine Yoga
Capri 10-11
7:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Registration & Exhibits
7:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Wet Lab (non-CME)^
Alcon
Unity® VCS & Valeda™ PBM
Capri 1
Apellis Pharmaceuticals
Azure 2
Genentech, Inc.
The Virtual Reality Simulator Experience of the Susvimo® / Port Delivery System (PDS)
Azure 2
Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Azure 1
7:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Scientific Poster Viewing (non-CME)^
Azure 3-4
7:00 – 8:00 AM
Breakfast
7:15 – 8:00 AM
Medical Student Meet & Greet
Exhibit Hall
8:00 – 8:15 AM
Opening Remarks
Jordan D. Deaner, MD; Avni P. Finn, MD, MBA; Aleksandra V. Rachitskaya, MD; Jayanth R. Sridhar, MD; Basil K. Williams Jr., MD; Yoshihiro Yonekawa, MD
8:15 – 8:45 AM
Session 1: Surgical Case Presentations: “We’re all mad here.”
Moderators: Caroline R. Baumal, MD & Vivienne S. Hau, MD, PhD
8:15
Introduction
8:21
Stage 5 ROP: Dig Deeper
Ahmed Mansour, MD, PhD
8:27
Retinal Vacuum
Merina Thomas, MD
8:33
Down the Rabbit Hole
Matt R. Starr, MD
8:39
Retina Xtreme
Ekta Rishi, MD, FRCS
8:45 – 9:55 AM
Session 2: General Surgery “Curiouser and curiouser!”
Moderators: Matthew A. Cunningham, MD & Jennifer I. Lim, MD
8:45
Introduction
8:48
We're All Mad Here: Managing the Challenging Diabetic Vitrectomy
Dimitra Skondra, MD, PhD, FASRS
8:55
Management of Iatrogenic Globe Perforations
Marisa Tieger, MD
9:02
Maximizing Diagnostic Vitrectomy in the Wonderland of Uveitis
Steven Yeh, MD
9:09
Surgery for Retinal Hemangioblastoma Related Complications
Şengül Özdek, MD, FEBO, FASRS
9:16
DRCR Surgical Protocols and How to Get Involved
Andrew J. Barkmeier, MD
9:23
Tips and Tricks on Complex Macular Holes
Mohsin H. Ali, MD
9:30
Approach and Management of Adult ROP Detachments
Prethy Rao, MD, MPH
9:37
Gene Therapy Surgery and Complications of Gene Therapy Surgery
Ninel Gregori, MD
9:44
Prevention of Early PVR with Pneumatic Pre-PPV
Flavio Rezende, MD, PhD
9:51
Take On Me: A Case for Port Delivery + PPV
Christopher G. Fuller, MD
9:55 – 10:30 AM
Break and Poster Judging Session (non-CME)^
Azure 3-4
Lead Judges: Kyle D. Kovacs, MD; Prethy Rao, MD, MPH; Matt R. Starr, MD
Judging Panel: Barton L. Blackorby, MD; Maura di Nicola, MD; Rehan M. Hussain, MD; Ajay E. Kuriyan, MD; Danny A. Mammo, MD; Phoebe L. Mellen, MD; Margaret M. Runner, MD; Jesse D. Sengillo, MD; Joshua H. Uhr, MD
10:30 – 11:00 AM
Session 3: Teaching Surgery – A Balancing Act “But that’s just the trouble with me. I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it.”
Moderator: Jordan D. Deaner, MD
Panelists: Margaret A. Greven, MD; Michelle Liang, MD; Brian Toy, MD
11:00 – 11:40 AM
Session 4: Lightning Rounds "The oysters were curious too, weren't they?"
Moderators: Lisa J. Faia, MD & Sharon Fekrat, MD, FASRS
11:00 Christine I. Clavell, MD
11:05 Phoebe L. Mellen, MD
11:10 Tedi Begaj, MD
11:15 Asad F. Durrani, MD
11:20 Margaret M. Runner, MD
11:25 Nita Valikodath, MD, MS
11:30 Ramsudha Narala, MD
11:35 Jesse D. Sengillo, MD
11:40 AM – 12:10 PM
Session 5: 2025 Lifetime Achievement Awardee “I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then.”
Emily Y. Chew, MD
Interviewed by R.V. Paul Chan, MD, MSc, MBA
12:10 – 1:25 PM
Lunch
1:25 – 2:25 PM
Session 6: Medical Retina Debates “Of shoes and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages and kings”
Moderators: Manjot K. Gill, MD & Paul Sternberg, MD
Debate #1: Peer Review Should be..
1:25 Compensated
Katherine E. Talcott, MD
1:30 Voluntary
Durga S. Borkar, MD, MMCi
1:35 Discussion
Debate #2: How To Manage Non-Infectious Uveitis
1:40 Systemic IMT
Parisa Emami, MD, MPH
1:45 Local Corticosteroids
Ashleigh L. Levison, MD
1:50 Discussion
Debate #3: Laser vs. Anti-VEGF for Mid Zone II ROP
1:55 Laser
Emmanuel Y. Chang, MD, PhD
2:00 Anti-VEGF
Hong-Uyen Hua, MD
2:05 Discussion
Debate #4: Photobiomodulation for Dry AMD…
2:10 Works
Ajay E. Kuriyan, MD
2:15 Does not Work
Nicolas A. Yannuzzi, MD
2:20 Discussion
2:25 – 2:45 PM
Session 7: Mentorship Awardee “Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle.”
2:25
Introduction
Sharon Fekrat, MD, FASRS
2:30
Mentorship Awardee Lecture
Adrienne W. Scott, MD, FASRS
2:45 – 3:15 PM
Session 8: Wellness Panel “I'm late, I'm late! For a very important date! No time to say 'hello, goodbye,' I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"
Moderator: Nicholas Farber, MD
Panelists: Royce W.S. Chen, MD; Brian K. Do, MD; Kristen Nwanyanwu, MD, MBA, MHS; Malini V. Pasricha, MD
3:15 – 3:30 PM
Wrap Up
Avni P. Finn, MD, MBA
3:30 – 4:30 PM
Community Building Breakout (non-CME)^
Part of the VBS Wellness Initiative
Sponsored by Astellas, Genentech, Inc., & Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Exhibit Hall
7:00 – 10:00 PM
The Queen of Hearts Soiree
Dress as your favorite character for Wonderland after Dark at LIV Las Vegas: Where the curious come to feast and dance. “The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday—but never jam today.”
Saturday, April 11
7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Registration
7:00 – 9:00 AM
Breakfast
7:15 – 8:45 AM
BREAK-fast Program (non-CME)^
Capri 2-3
Program for vitreoretinal surgeons to go in-depth discussing industry-physician interactions, research collaborations, becoming a key opinion leader, and the partnership between industry and physicians to improve patient care.
Open to all attendees.
Participating Companies: Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Genentech, Inc., & Ocular Therapeutix
Moderator: Jayanth R. Sridhar, MD
Physician KOL Panelists: Avni P. Finn, MD, MBA & R. Ross Lakhanpal, MD, FACS, FASRS
Industry Partner Panelists: David Acheson; Peter K. Kaiser, MD; DeAnna Kovach, PharmD
8:00 AM – 2:10 PM
Exhibits
8:00 AM – 2:10 PM
Wet Lab (non-CME)^
Alcon
Unity® VCS & Valeda™ PBM
Capri 1
Apellis Pharmaceuticals
Azure 2
Genentech, Inc.
The Virtual Reality Simulator Experience of the Susvimo® / Port Delivery System (PDS)
Azure 2
Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Azure 1
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Scientific Poster Viewing (non-CME)^
Azure 3-4
9:00 – 9:10 AM
Opening Remarks
Jordan D. Deaner, MD
9:10 – 10:05 AM
Session 9: Surgical Cases & Scientific Papers “Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
Moderators: Dean Eliott, MD & Gabriela LopezCarasa, MD
9:10
Von Hippel-Lindau Disease: Capillary Hemangioma–associated Retinal Detachment
Lucas Zago, MD
9:16
What a Mass! Exoresection for Giant Choroidal Melanoma
YuBai Chou, MD, PhD
9:22
Into the Rabbit Hole...
Aristomenis Thanos, MD
9:28
Retinal Redemption: Turning Chaos into Closure
Bruna Gil Ferreira, MD
9:34
Surgical Management for Complex Retinal Detachment with Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy and Macular Hole using Relaxing Retinectomy and Autologous Retinal Transplantation
Tarek Alasil, MD
9:40
Macula Hole Management Without Tamponade
Audrey Juan, MD
9:44
First-in-Human Outcomes of a Sutureless, Scleral-fixated, Prosthetic Capsular Bag
Frank L. Brodie, MD, MBA
9:48
Predictors of Anatomic and Functional Success with Amniotic Membrane Grafting for Complex Macular Holes
Scott D. Walter, MD, MSc, FASRS
9:52
Outcomes of Eyes with Concurrent Suprachoroidal Hemorrhage and Retinal Detachment: A Multicenter Study
Tianyu Liu, MD
9:56
Discussion of Scientific Papers
10:05 – 10:49 AM
Session 10: International Surgical Retina “When I get home I shall write a book about this place.”
Moderators: Thomas A. Albini, MD & Yewlin E. Chee, MD
10:05
Introduction
10:07
High Myopia Vitrectomy, Adeventures and Misadventures
Andrew S.H. Tsai, MD
10:13
Comples but Still Doable
Mariam A. Al-Feky, MD
10:19
Suprachoroidal Viscobuckle for Retinal Dialysis Detachment
Shohista Saidkasimova, FRCOphth
10:25
Surgical Management of a Total Retinal Detachment
Danilo Iannetta, MD, PhD
10:31
"Go On Till the End-and (Don't) Stop": Exploring the LImits of Redetachment Surgery
Apoorva Ayachit, MS, FVRS, FICO
10:37
Challenging PVR: Can Adjuvant Mitomycin C Make a Difference?
Sibel Demirel, MD
10:43
What Knot to Do
Adrian Fung, MBBS, Mmed
10:49 – 11:25 AM
Break and Poster Judging Session (non-CME)^
Azure 3-4
Lead Judges: Kyle D. Kovacs, MD; Prethy Rao, MD, MPH; Matt R. Starr, MD
Judging Panel: Barton L. Blackorby, MD; Maura di Nicola, MD; Rehan M. Hussain, MD; Ajay E. Kuriyan, MD; Danny A. Mammo, MD; Phoebe L. Mellen, MD; Margaret M. Runner, MD; Jesse D. Sengillo, MD; Joshua H. Uhr, MD
11:25 – 11:55 AM
Session 11: Business of Retina: Hot Topics in Retina and Advocacy “If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does.”
Moderator: Esther L. Kim, MD
Panelists: Hadi Kaakour, MD, MS; Lisa Olmos de Koo, MD, MBA; Camille Palma, MD; Basil K. Williams Jr., MD
11:55 AM – 12:20 PM
Session 12: Medical Retina Rapid Fire “Nothing's impossible!”
Moderator: Christina Weng, MD, MBA
Panelists: David Eichenbaum, MD; Jesse J. Jung, MD; Arthi G. Venkat, MD
12:20 – 12:50 PM
Session 13: 2026 Lifetime Achievement Awardee “A dream is not reality, but who's to say which is which?”
Virgilio Morales Canton, MD
Interviewed by Jorge A. Fortun, MD
12:50 – 2:10 PM
Lunch
1:15 – 2:00 PM
Lunchtime Breakout Symposia (non-CME)^
Astellas
Why Early Intervention in Geographic Atrophy (GA) is Critical: Recognizing and Managing Those Most at Risk for Rapid Vision Loss
Lisa J. Faia, MD & Deepak Sambhara, MD
Capri 2-3
Genentech, Inc.
Evolving Equitable Care: Taking Focused Action to Improve Outcomes for Underserved Patients
Jorge A. Fortun, MD
Capri 4-5
Ocular Therapeutix
Redefining the Management of Neovascular AMD
Jeffrey S. Heier, MD; Peter K. Kaiser, MD; Andrew A. Moshfeghi, MD
Capri 6-7
2:10 – 3:10 PM
Session 14: Surgical Retina Debates “I have an excellent idea! Let's change the subject."
Moderators: Shilpa Desai, MD & Ella Leung, MD
Debate #1: How to Manage Endophthalmitis
2:10 Tap and Inject
Samir N. Patel, MD
2:15 Immediate Vitrectomy
Maria H. Berrocal, MD
2:20 Discussion
Debate #2: Who can Perform Pediatric Surgery?
2:25 Pediatric VR Surgery should be Funneled to Specialty Centers
Nimesh A. Patel, MD
2:30 All VR Surgeons should be able to do some Pediatric Surgery
Safa Rahmani, MD
2:35 Discussion
Debate #3: How to Manage RD?
2:40 PPV Alone
R. Ross Lakhanpal, MD, FACS, FASRS
2:45 SB/PPV
Talia R. Kaden, MD
2:50 Discussion
Debate #4: Optimal Timing for Mac Off RRD
2:55 The Sooner, the Better
Ferhina S. Ali, MD
3:00 There is No Urgency
Akshay S. Thomas, MD, MS, FASRS
3:05 Discussion
3:10 – 4:40 PM
Session 15: Complications “If you drink much from a bottle marked 'poison' it is certain to disagree with you sooner or later.”
Moderators: Gerardo Garcia-Aguirre, MD & Jessica D. Randolph, MD
Panelists: Sruthi Arepalli, MD; Tamer H. Mahmoud, MD, PhD; Daraius Shroff, MS, FRCS
Soft Tip Shenanigans
Sean Adrean, MD
Macular Surgery Gone Mad – Managing an Iatrogenic Break with a Massive Choroidal Bleed
Arjun Desai, MD
High Velocity Concrete Nail Injury
Jason Fan, MD, PhD
Alice in Blunderland
Kenneth Fan, MD, MBA
Double Disaster Averted: Managing Consecutive Instrument Breakage in Vitrectomy
Joaquin I. Romano, MD
Pars Plana Approach for Intraoperative Suprachoroidal Hemorrhage in a Monocular Eye With Phacomorphic Glaucoma
Lucas V. Soares, MD
Persistent Fetal Vasculature Complicated by Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment
Ethan Sobol, MD
Through the Macular Hole and Beyond: The Tale of an Escaped PFCL Bubble
Marcelo C. Ventura Filho, MD
4:40 – 5:00 PM
Closing Remarks
Aleksandra V. Rachitskaya, MD & Yoshihiro Yonekawa, MD
5:00 PM
Adjourn
7:00 – 10:00 PM
The Mad Hatter's Tea Party and Award Ceremony
Join us for supper at the Waterbleau Terrace with your best whimsical tea-time attire, replete with playful hats, fascinators, or crowns worthy of Wonderland Royalty. Sip, spin, and spiral into madness. “It’s always tea time!”
^Not part of the educational activity. Non-CME. Located in an alternate meeting space.