Medicina Webinar | Retinal Update 2026
1 April 2026
Welcome from the Chair
11th Medicina Webinar
Retinal Update 2026
The diagnosis and management of vitreoretinal diseases is rapidly evolving. Retinal Update 2026 is intended to provide practical insights to clinicians and trainees. The faculty include experts from the US and Europe on diverse topics including uveal melanoma, artificial intelligence, and subretinal hemorrhage.
Uveal melanoma remains the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults. There is no current consensus on standard treatment of small melanomas. Recent advances in gene expression profiling have the potential to improve clinical outcomes. A practical approach to the care of these patients will be presented.
The rapid development of multimodal artificial intelligence that incorporates multiple data modalities has the potential to improve diagnostic accuracy and assist treatment decisions in patients with vitreoretinal diseases. Many examples will be provided.
Despite recent advances in the care of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, subretinal macular hemorrhage may result in severe vision loss. There is no current consensus on standard treatment of this condition. Various alternatives will be discussed, in terms of clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness.
We hope that Retinal Update 2026 will provide practical insights that will improve clinical care.
Date: 1 April 2026
Time: 8:00 am EDT
Webinar ID: 867 7550 7735
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Event Chairs
Department of Ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Naples, FL 34103, USA
Stephen G. Schwartz, MD, MBA, is Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He holds the Robert Z. & Nancy J. Greene Chair in Ophthalmology and serves as Medical Director of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Naples. He serves on the Editorial Board of the Ophthalmology Section of Medicina. He is a Guest Editor of the Special Issue “Ophthalmology: New Diagnostic and Treatment Approaches (2nd Edition)”.
Invited Speakers
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00936, USA
Victor M. Villegas, MD, is a vitreoretinal surgeon and ocular oncologist and serves as Residency Program Director in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Puerto Rico. He holds academic affiliations with the Department of Ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and the Department of Surgery, Ponce Health Sciences University. He is a Past President of the Puerto Rico Society of Ophthalmology and Chair of the Young Ophthalmology Section of the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology. He is a Guest Editor of the Special Issue “Ophthalmology: New Diagnostic and Treatment Approaches (2nd Edition)”.
Institute for Research in Ophthalmology, Foundation for Ophthalmology Development, Poznan, Poland
Prof. Andrzej Grzybowski, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, MAE, EVER, is Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn and Head of the Institute for Research in Ophthalmology, Foundation for Ophthalmology Development in Poznan. He is Past President of EVER (President 2023-2024), member of the ISRS International Council, Treasurer of the European Academy of Ophthalmology, and founder of the AI in Ophthalmology Society. He is a Guest Editor of the Special Issue “Ophthalmology: New Diagnostic and Treatment Approaches (2nd Edition)”.
Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Gießen and Marburg, Germany
Prof. Lyubomyr Lytvynchuk, MD, PhD, is a vitreoretinal surgeon and clinician–scientist specializing in inherited retinal diseases, gene and cell therapy, and pediatric lens and retinal vascular disorders. He studied medicine at Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University and completed his residency and advanced vitreoretinal training at the P.L. Shupyk National Medical Academy in Kyiv, followed by clinical and research fellowships in Vienna, London, Hamburg, and at the Karl Landsteiner Institute for Retinal Research and Imaging. In 2017 he joined the University Hospital Gießen and Marburg, where he has led the Vitreoretinal Service since 2017, and in 2023 he was appointed Head of the Department of Ophthalmology (Gießen campus) and W2 Professor of Translational Retinology at Justus-Liebig University Gießen. He is an active member of multiple national and international scientific societies, including ARVO, ASRS, SOE, EURETINA, EVRS, ESCRS, EVER, DOG and the Retinological Society.
Registration
This is a FREE webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.
Certificates of attendance will be delivered to those who attend the live webinar.
Can’t attend? Register anyway and we’ll let you know when the recording is available to watch.
Program
|
Speaker/Presentation |
Time in EDT |
Time in CEST |
|
Prof. Dr. Stephen G. Schwartz (Chair) Chair Introduction |
8:00 - 8:10 a.m. |
2:00 - 2:10 p.m. |
|
Dr. Victor M. Villegas Early Treatment of Uveal Melanoma Saves Lives |
8:10 - 8:30 a.m. |
2:10 - 2:30 p.m. |
|
Prof. Andrzej Gryzbowski Retina-Based AI: Update 2026 |
8:30 - 8:50 a.m. |
2:30 - 2:50 p.m. |
|
Prof. Lyubomyr Lytvynchuk Subretinal Hemorrhage: Displacement Versus Removal |
8:50 - 9:10 a.m. |
2:50 - 3:10 p.m. |
|
Q&A Session |
9:10 - 9:25 a.m. |
3:10 - 3:25 p.m. |
|
Prof. Dr. Stephen G. Schwartz (Chair) Closing of Webinar |
9:25 - 9:30 a.m. |
3:25 - 3:30 p.m. |
Relevant Special Issue
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