The Emirates Society of Ophthalmology holds its 23rd annual conference (ESO 2026) on 15–17 October 2026 in Abu Dhabi. ESO was formed by pioneering UAE ophthalmologists as a society within the Emirates Medical Association, and has grown into the foremost ophthalmology body not only in the Emirates but across the GCC, responsible for supervising and conducting scientific training, events and conferences and for collaborating with regional health organisations.
The annual conference is the society's flagship scientific event. The programme covers the full subspecialty range — cataract and refractive surgery, cornea and external disease, glaucoma, medical and surgical retina, oculoplastics, paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus, neuro-ophthalmology and uveitis — delivered through invited lectures, free paper sessions, video-based surgical symposia and instructional courses. Surgical video sessions are a particular strength of the meeting, giving attending surgeons direct exposure to technique and complication management from experienced regional and international operators.
Alongside the main programme, ESO runs wet labs and skill-transfer sessions, and the conference regularly hosts satellite symposia from ophthalmic pharmaceutical and device companies. An accompanying exhibition presents diagnostic imaging platforms, surgical systems, intraocular lenses and practice technology to UAE and Gulf practices.
Abstract submission is open through the congress website, with accepted work presented as free papers or posters within the scientific programme. The site also publishes the organising committee, the confirmed speaker faculty, the at-a-glance schedule and the sponsorship structure, along with archives from previous ESO editions.
The meeting draws consultants, specialists, residents and optometrists from the UAE and the wider Gulf, and functions as the region's main annual point of contact for the ophthalmic community.
