ASRS Annual Meeting going virtual

The American Society of Retina Specialists is the latest organization to announce its 2020 annual meeting will switch to a virtual format amid COVID-19 concerns.

“As public health safety concerns related to COVID-19 continue, the ASRS Board of Directors has concluded that the 2020 ASRS Annual Meeting, scheduled July 24-28 in Seattle, Washington, cannot occur in person as planned,” the organization said in a statement from ASRS President Timothy Murray, MD, MBA, and Program Chairman Philip Ferrone, MD.

“Knowing that the most important developments in retina are presented at our annual meeting, we plan to deliver the latest research to the global community using a virtual format that respects the contributions of the authors,” the statement added.

With many schedules already arranged for the weekend, ASRS noted the live streaming portion of the event will start the evening of Friday, July 24 and end the afternoon of Sunday, July 26. 

ASRS also said in the statement it will begin processing refunds to all current registrants this week.

Earlier this year, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology both announced virtual alternatives for their May events.