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Retina Summit 2026: OD updates for AMD management and imaging

Alex Delaney-Gesing

This is editorially independent content
8 min read

Retinal disease diagnosis, imaging, and management updates were top of mind for optometrists (OD) attending this past weekend’s 2026 Retina Summit.

Hosted by the American Academy of Optometry (AAO), the one-day-only (April 18) regional meeting kicked off in Indianapolis, Indiana, exploring retina care’s shift from a referral-based specialty to decision-making at the OD level.

I didn’t know the AAO hosted regional meetings …

It’s all part of the Academy’s goal to expand access (for members and non-members alike) to continuing education (CE).

As AAO President Jeffrey Walline, OD, PhD, FAAO, previously noted, the organization wanted to offer the optometric profession “top-level education outside of the annual meeting.”

  • “We know from experience that Indianapolis is a great place to hold a meeting, both from a travel and entertainment standpoint, so we hope to welcome you to the first of our new in-person regional meetings,” he added.

While this year’s Academy meeting—which will kick off Sept. 30-Oct. 3 in Anaheim, California— is still considered the cornerstone of its programming, “we recognize that not everyone can step away from their professional or personal responsibilities to attend,” the AAO told Glance.

And that’s where this retina summit comes in. As the first of more regional meetings to come, the intent is to bring “high-quality education closer to our members and colleagues, while also creating opportunities to explore specialized topics in a more focused setting.”

So why retina?

The Academy has held two other retina events in recent years—both of which “demonstrated a strong interest in this topic.”

  • And most importantly: “It’s also an area of growing importance in optometric care, with increasing demand for early detection and ongoing management of retinal conditions,” the organization noted.

Duly noted. Now, let’s get a rundown on the event itself.

With 6.5 hours of CE up for grabs—offered through the AAO’s Retina Special Interest Group (SIG)— attendees heard from two leading experts (and Academy fellows) in the retina space:

See here for a look at the four presentations. The event’s premier sponsor: Apellis Pharmaceuticals.

And the attendees?

Optometrists from across the country gathered for an intimate meeting encouraging back-and-forth, interactive dialogue between attendees and presenters.

From the location to the variety in retina topics, their reasoning for attending was wide.

Allison Nowak, OD, FAAO, of Lanter Eyecare and Laser Surgery in Carmel and Greenwood, Indiana, said the meeting’s close proximity and credit opportunity were major selling points.

Similarly, for Brian Baxter, OD, of the retina-focused Southwest Eye Consults in Durango, Colorado, the summit’s specialty focus on topics such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) piqued his interest.

Dr. Baxter specializes in ocular disease management and diabetic eye care.

  • Compared to Academy and other meetings’ more generalized and academic-forward retina discussions, “this is a more in-depth retina talk with clinical use,” he said.

So what was first on the agenda?

A look at age-related macular degeneration (AMD) as a common, progressive, and multifactorial retinal disease and the risk stratification, assessment, and management designs that go into its care plan.

“We have to be looking at all of the parameters of patients to better manage this population,” Dr. Rafieetary said.

Our three main takeaways focus on a simple mindset shift in how ODs approach treatment plans.

  1. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and multimodal imaging are critical (not optional) for AMD diagnosis and monitoring—and the earlier they’re utilized, the better.
    1. Why: These imaging tools detect early damage and fluid that wouldn’t otherwise be seen in photos, and are particularly beneficial for patients reporting:
      1. Blurry or distorted vision
      2. Difficulty reading or seeing at night
    2. One example: Altris AI offers an artificial intelligence (AI)-guided OCT interpretation via the Altris Sync.
  2. AMD isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” disease—and a closer follow-up may be needed for some patients.
    1. Among the high-risk clues to watch for: large drusen, pigment changes, smoker or past smoker, certain medications (GLP-1 agonists), and patients ages >65
  • What to do in practice:
    • Low-risk patients: Conduct annual exams
    • Higher-risk patients: Conduct exams every 3 to 6 months (and use OCT, if possible)
  1. The biggest danger is missing the signs of disease progression and waiting until it’s too late.
    1. What to do in practice:
      1. Use tools such as Amsler grid for a quick screening or OCT (when available)
        1. At-home OCT monitoring (such as by Notal Vision)
        2. For dry AMD: LumiThera Inc’s photobiomodulation-based Valeda Light Delivery System (LDS).
      2. For wet AMD cases, refer immediately.

Next up … imaging in the retina space.

The presenters discussed why multi-modal imaging modalities should be utilized, how to put them to use, and how to interpret the results.

“It’s not a matter of normal versus abnormal,” Dr. Rafieetary said. “It's a matter of what the finding is and if we should refer the patient or manage them in-house.”

As Dr. Attar noted, ODs should have familiarity with a disease state and which tools are suitable—their strengths and limitations, as well as “sensitivity and specificity” in diagnostic accuracy.

  • As is the case with retinal diseases, “there’s not a one-size-fits-all tool for everything.”

And moving forward: The common theme of this session centered around the shifting role of ODs from simply screening patients to offering early detection and triage methods.

So what were the takeaways from their lecture?

  1. ODs don’t need to diagnose everything, but they do need to know what imaging results are (and are not) normal.
    1. In clinical practice: Utilizing modern imaging tools such as OCT and widefield imaging can help:
      1. Catch subtle pathology not visible via fundoscopy alone
      2. Identify when results are outside the normal variation
      3. Determine if a patient needs a referral—and the urgency level
  2. OCT is the most valuable everyday tool—providing an OD actually looks at the scans. 
    1. Common pitfalls include relying on summary maps; thickness maps can be misleading, and segmentation errors are also common.
    2. A true clinical diagnosis can come from reviewing cross-sectional B-scans, as even basic pattern recognition can dramatically improve disease detection.
    3. In clinical practice: Review OCT scans while looking for:
      1. Fluid (dark spaces)
      2. Layer distortion
      3. Loss of normal foveal contour
  3. Multimodal imaging can explain symptoms when an exam does not. While patients may present with 20/20 vision and minimal findings, the real pathology is visible through imaging.
    1. Examples of this: Early diabetic changes, chronic retinal detachments, and subtle choroidal neovascularization (CNV) or central serous retinopathy (CSR).
    2. In clinical practice: If a patient’s symptoms don’t match with exam findings, image more—not less—to:
      1. Validate patient complaints
      2. Strengthen referrals
      3. Educate patients (visually)

Now, weren’t there four sessions in total?

Indeed … but for the sake of brevity, we’ll save those two for the next installment in our 2026 Retina Summit recap.

On the agenda:

  • Diabetic Retinopathy: Recognizing Risk, Reading the Retina, and Guiding Clinical Decisions
  • Inherited Retinal Disease: Recognizing Genetic Clues, Avoiding Diagnostic Pitfalls, and Using Genetic Testing in Clinical Practice
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