Thursday 5 March 2026 – Workshop Sessions
| 0930 – 1200 | Focus theme: Cataract Surgery – SICS and Phaco for the Next Generation |
| Room | Menzies Centre – MS1 LT1 |
| Session Chair | Dr. Vignesh Raja, Dr. Sunil Thangaraj |
| This VAST cataract course is designed for young clinicians seeking a solid foundation in modern cataract surgery, with a focus on both small-incision cataract surgery (SICS) and phacoemulsification. Expert faculty will walk participants through key steps, tips, and common pitfalls in each technique, highlighting how to choose and execute the appropriate approach for different clinical scenarios and manage complex cases and complications. Panel: Dr Vignesh Raja, Dr Sunil Thangaraj, Prof. Nitin Verma, Dr Manoj Sharma and others. |
|
| 1200 – 1300 | Lunch and Light Refreshments |
| 1300 – 1600 | APOTS & RANZCO: Practical Management of Ocular and Adnexal Trauma |
| Room | Menzies Centre – MS1 LT1 |
| Chairs | Dr. Chris Lim, Dr. Annette Hoskin |
| 1300 – 1310 | Prof. Nitin Verma |
| 1310 – 1340 | Anterior Segment Signs of Trauma: From the obvious to the subtle Dr. Chris Lim |
| 1340 – 1410 | Management of Anterior Segment Trauma: Personal Journey Dr. Sunil Thangaraj |
| 1410 – 1440 | The Posterior Segment: Keys to the Kingdom Dr. Vignesh Raja |
| 1440 – 1510 | The Orbit and Adnexal Trauma Dr. Alexandra Manta |
| 1510 – 1540 | Prognostication for Ot: Latest Metric and how to use them for Patient Outcomes Dr. Annette Hoskin |
| 1540 – 1555 | Discussion + Q&A |
| 1555 – 1600 | Workshop Close Prof. Mark Radford |
Friday 6 March 2026
| Room | Plenary Hall | ||||
| 0900 – 1000 | Conference Opening Prof. Nitin Verma, Mr. Brandon Ah Tong Keynote Speaker His Excellency Dr José Ramos-Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste |
||||
| 1000 – 1030 | Session 1 – LOOKING WITHIN [GEH] Vision 2030 and beyond, and Closing the Gap | ||||
| Room | Plenary Hall | ||||
| Chair | Prof. Nitin Verma, Dr. Justin Mora | ||||
| 1000 – 1015 | Vision 2030 and beyond, and Closing the Gap Download Presentation Slides Dr. Kristin Bell |
||||
| 1015 – 1025 | Aotearoa New Zealand’s pathway to eye health equity Dr. Justin Mora |
||||
| 1030 – 1100 | Morning Tea Break | ||||
| 1100 – 1230 | Session 2 – [IAPB] From Evidence to Action: The Road to the Global Summit for Eye Health 2026 | ||||
| Room | Plenary Hall | ||||
| Session Chairs | Mr. Brandon Ah Tong, Dr. Fabrizio D’Esposito | ||||
| 1105 – 1115 | Political Leadership and a Shared Vision for Equity in Eye Health His Excellency Dr José Ramos-Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste |
||||
| 1115 – 1125 | Pacific Leadership in Eye Health: Collective Action for Shared Challenges Mr Bob Williams, Secretary of Health of the Cook Islands |
||||
| 1125 – 1135 | Indigenous Leadership in Eye Health: Self-Determination, Partnership, and System Change Chrissie Cowan |
||||
| 1135 – 1145 | The Global Summit for Eye Health 2026: A Vision for Change Dr. Fabrizio D’Esposito, Head of Region, Western Pacific, IAPB |
||||
| 1145 – 1155 | The Case for Investing in Eye Health: Using Economic Evidence to Drive Policy and Financing Mr. Jack Hennessy, Chief Economist, The Fred Hollows Foundation |
||||
| 1155 – 1230 | From Evidence to engagement: preparing for the Summit Panel Discussion |
||||
| 1230 – 1330 | Lunch Break – Sponsored by Alcon |
||||
| 1330 – 1500 | Session 3 – [GEH] Sustainability | ||||
| Room | Plenary Hall | ||||
| Session Chairs | Dr. Jesse Gale, Dr Duke Mataka, Dr Venkatapathy Narendran | ||||
| 1340 – 1355 | Designing Sustainable Eye Care: From Clinical Action to Environmental Science Dr. Chris Lim |
||||
| 1355 – 1410 | Reducing Cataract Surgical Waste: Is Reuse Safe? (Pre-Recorded Video) Dr. David Chang |
||||
| 1410 – 1425 | Progress in sustainable ophthalmology in Australia and New Zealand Dr. Jesse Gale |
||||
| 1425 – 1440 | A roadmap to integrating enhanced surgical training and access to surgery in rural PNG Dr. Amyna Sultan |
||||
| 1440 – 1455 | Group Q&A | ||||
| 1500 – 1530 | Afternoon Tea Break | ||||
| 1530 – 1700 | Session 4 – [GEH] Resource Mobilisation to Save Sight | ||||
| Room | Plenary Hall | ||||
| Session Chair | Dr. Audrey Aumua, Dr. Avinash Pathengay, Prof. Peter McCluskey | ||||
| 1535 – 1555 | Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) – Driving Ophthalmology Forward to Save Sight (Pre-Recorded Video) Prof. Clement CY Tham |
||||
| 1555 – 1610 | LVPEI – Not-for-Profit Institute with a healthy financial model. Dr. Avinash Pathengay |
||||
| 1610 – 1625 | See Beyond: Building Sustainable Funding for Eye Health in the Pacific Dr. Audrey Aumua |
||||
| 1625 – 1635 | Q&A | ||||
| 1635 – 1655 | In the Deep – leadership in a challenging situations Prof. Paul Mccartney, Dr Robert Griffits |
||||
| 1700 – 1800 | Film Session | ||||
| 1800 – 1930 | Welcome & Networking Function Poster Session |
||||
Saturday 7 March 2026
| Room | Plenary Hall | ||||
| 0900 – 1030 | Session 5 – [IAPB] Advocacy Unplugged: The Power of Unlikely Partnerships | ||||
| Room | Plenary Hall | ||||
| Chair | Dr. Fabrizio D‘Esposito, Dr. Jambi Garap | ||||
| 0905 – 0915 | Advocacy from Government: Partnerships that Enable Policy and Implementation Mr Bob Williams, Secretary of Health of the Cook Islands |
||||
| 0915 – 0925 | From Evidence to Impact: Partnerships to Deliver and Act on Australia’s National Eye and Ear Health Survey Carly Iles CEO, Vision 2020 Australia |
||||
| 0925 – 0935 | Convening for Change: The Role of NGOs in Building Advocacy Coalitions Mr. Brandon Ah Tong |
||||
| 0935 – 0945 | Country Leadership in Action: Translating Policy into Practice in Papua New Guinea Dr. Jambi Garap |
||||
| 0945 – 0955 | Private Sector as Partner: Aligning Scale, Data, and Innovation with Public Health Goals Aylia Short, Healthcare System Partner, Roche |
||||
| 0955 – 1025 | Panel Discussion Blending Voices for Impact | ||||
| 1030 – 1100 | Morning Tea Break | ||||
| 1100 – 1230 | Session 6 – [GEH] Delivering a Sustainable Workforce to Meet Population Needs | ||||
| Room | Plenary Hall | ||||
| Session Chair | Dr. Ashish Agar, Dr. Alma Nacuva, Dr. Anna Tan | ||||
| 1105 – 1120 | Delivering a sustainable workforce to meet population needs Dr. Venkatapathy Narendran |
||||
| 1120 – 1135 | Pacific Perspectives Dr. Alma Nacuva |
||||
| 1135 – 1150 | Innovative models of care to deliver high quality eye care Dr. Anna Tan |
||||
| 1150 – 1205 | Subspecialty Training in the East-Asia Pacific: the Sight For All Approach Professor Robert Casson |
||||
| 1205 – 1220 | North meets South: Training opportunities in Nepal Dr. Manoj Sharma |
||||
| 1230 – 1330 | Lunch Break | ||||
| 1330 – 1500 | Session 7 – [GEH] Innovative Technologies & Services (including AI) | ||||
| Room | Plenary Hall | ||||
| Session Chairs | Prof. Angus Turner, Dr. Andronico Ly, Jude Stern | ||||
| 1335 – 1345 | Artificial Intelligence in Ophthalmology – From AGI to AMI (Pre Recorded Video) Pearse Keane |
||||
| 1345 – 1355 | Beyond the Algorithm: Creating a technology ecosystem for universal access to eye care Jude Stern |
||||
| 1355 – 1405 | Validation and Application of a Novel 24-2 Rapid Protocol of Melbourne Rapid Fields AI enabled online Perimeter on Glaucoma Screening Download Presentation Slides A/Prof. George Kong |
||||
| 1405 – 1415 | Lessons deploying an AI diagnostic tool in primary care in remote & Rural settings in Australia Download Presentation Slides Prof. Angus Turner |
||||
| 1415 – 1425 | Artificial Intelligence in the Diagnosis of Microbial Keratitis: A Systematic Review Download Presentation Slides Dr. Esther Leong |
||||
| 1425 – 1500 | Panel Discussion Moderator: Jude Stern |
||||
| 1500 – 1530 | Afternoon Tea Break | ||||
| 1530 – 1630 | Session 8 – [GEH] Young Ophthalmologists’ Session – Making a Difference | ||||
| Room | Plenary Hall | ||||
| Session Chair | Dr. Jason Cheng, Dr. Claire Lixian Peterson, Dr. Dean Cugley | ||||
| 1535 – 1545 | Getting involved in Global Eye Health as a YO Dr Jason Cheng |
||||
| 1545 – 1555 | Beyond Borders: Building the Global Young Ophthalmologist Community and My Journey in Global Eye Health Dr. Claire Lixian Peterson |
||||
| 1555 – 1605 | Getting Involved as a YO in Australia. My APAO LDP Experience Dr Chris Go |
||||
| 1615 – 1625 | YO in Australia, RANZCO and beyond – how to get involved Dr. Dean Cugley |
||||
| 1630 – 1730 | Session 9 – Free Paper Session | ||||
| Room | Plenary Hall | ||||
| Session Chairs | Dr. Claire Lixian Peterson, Dr Alice Irafa | ||||
| 1635 – 1645 | Comparing the costs and clinical outcomes of treatment of a visiting sub-specialist ophthalmology service to Royal Darwin Hospital with interstate transfers Download Presentation Slides Prof. Peter McCluskey |
||||
| 1645 – 1655 | Sutureless Scleral Fixation of Intraocular Lens Implantation Using Yamane’s Technique in Timor-Leste: Initial Experience Dr. Ramiro De Jesus |
||||
| 1655 – 1705 | Effectiveness of Virtual and Offline Eye Health – Awareness Programs Compared with School-Based Vision. Screening in Controlling Myopia among Students in Nepal Ms. Ashmita Maden |
||||
| 1705 – 1715 | Glaucoma Burden and Treatment Options in Fiji: A Retrospective Audit from Two Major Eye Hospitals Dr. Alexis Cailleteau |
||||
| 1715 – 1725 | Achieving Global Consistency and Equitable Access: Early Experiences from the First Year of the Ophthalmology Foundation Exams Download Presentation Slides Prof. Hugh Taylor |
||||
| 1830 – 2230 | Conference Dinner Derwent Room, Wrest Point Hotel Dress Code: Smart Casual Guest Speaker Assoc. Prof. Jeff Ayton, Centre for Antarctic, Remote & Maritime Medicine Title: Remote and Extreme ophthalmology in Australia’s Antarctic Program, Insights delivering healthcare to the remotest communities on Earth |
||||
Sunday 8 March 2026
| 0730 – 0830 | RANZCO TAS AGM | Wellington Room 2 Tasmanian Fellows Only |
||||
| 0830 – 1000 | Session 10 – [GEH] APOTS: The Global Picture | ||||
| Room | Plenary Hall | ||||
| Session Chairs | Dr. Stephanie Watson, Dr. Krishna Tumuliri | ||||
| 0830 – 0840 | Together (we need to) let’s do more (Pre-Recorded Video) Dr. Gangadhara Sundar |
||||
| 0840 – 0855 | Introduction: Evidence from Trauma Management Prof. Stephanie Watson OAM |
||||
| 0855 – 0910 | Orbital and Adnexal Trauma Dr Krishna Tumuliri |
||||
| 0910 – 0925 | Don’t Forget Sympathetic Ophthalmia Download Presentation Slides Prof. Peter McCluskey |
||||
| 0925 – 0940 | Natural and Man Made Disasters: Lessons for Ophthalmologists Dr. Annette Hoskin |
||||
| 0940 – 0955 | Profile of Ocular and Orbital Trauma in Timor Leste Download Presentation Slides Dr. Andronico Ly |
||||
| 1000 – 1030 | Hamilton Lecture | ||||
| Room | Plenary Hall | ||||
| Session Chair | Dr. Kristin Bell | ||||
| 1000 – 1030 | The Barefoot Diplomat Prof. Nitin Verma |
||||
| 1030 – 1100 | Morning Tea Break | ||||
| 1100 – 1230 | Session 11 – [RANZCO TAS] Contemporary Clinical Updates/Audits | ||||
| Room | Plenary Hall | ||||
| Session Chair | Prof. Alex Hewitt, Dr Nathan Nielsen | ||||
| 1105 – 1115 | Preventing and slowing Myopia progression will differ by geography Download Presentation Slides Prof. David Mackey |
||||
| 1115 – 1125 | Seasonal Progression of Myopia: A Review of the Literature Download Presentation Slides Brandon Roberts |
||||
| 1125 – 1135 | Update on DR after pancreatic transplants Evelyn Doan |
||||
| 1135 – 1145 | Innovative Approaches to Refractive Error Detection and Treatment in Nepal Download Presentation Slides Dr. Sailesh Mishra |
||||
| 1145 – 1155 | How to clean an eye clinic with zero waste Alex Buller |
||||
| 1155 – 1205 | A Rapid Review of the Evidence on Eye Health Among Members of the LGBTQAI+ Community Angela Hall & Fabrizio D’Esposito |
||||
| 1205 – 1215 | ASO Updates Ashish Agar |
||||
| 1215 – 1230 | RANZCO Updates Prof. Peter McCluskey |
||||
| 1230 – 1300 | Closing Ceremony | ||||
| Room | Plenary Hall | ||||
| Session Chairs | Prof. Nitin Verma & Mr. Brandon Ah Tong | ||||
Posters
| # | Title | Author |
| 1 | Implementation of Telehealth follow up for routine cataract surgery in a rural setting | Dr. Heath Darrant |
| 2 | Understanding non-attendance for Māori at ophthalmologist and related eye clinic Download Presentation Slides |
Mrs Chrissie Cowan |
| 3 | Eye Health Aotearoa Download Presentation Slides |
Mrs Chrissie Cowan |
| 4 | Fiji Eye Project | Dr. Jay Chandra |
| 5 | Normative and Toxic Reference Values for 7-Ring mfERG in Hydroxychloroquine Retinopathy: Machine Learning Prediction of Diagnostic Thresholds | Dr. Charles Walker |
| 6 | Small Eyes, Big Ideas: Reimagining Paediatric Eye Surgery in Fiji | Dr. Cheefoong Chong |
Films
| Title | Author |
| The Challenge – Bringing AI Innovation to the remote Pilbara | Prof. Angus Turner |
| Addressing uncorrected refractive error in the Pacific Islands: the OOXii Vision Kit in action | Dr. Sarah Crowe |
| Please Don’t Rush | Prof. Robert Casson (Sight for All) |
| “Loke Matan”: Open Your Eyes | Dr. Matthew McCartney |
| Mangoes for Doctor | Prof. Nitin Verma |
| Vision for Caring | Prof. Nitin Verma |
