The 57th RANZCO Annual Scientific Congress is held in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand from 6 to 9 November 2026 at the brand-new New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) on Hobson Street. Hosted by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, it is the largest annual gathering of ophthalmologists in the Australasian region.
The 2026 programme features keynote speakers from Australia, India, the United Kingdom, the United States and Türkiye, giving the scientific content a genuinely global perspective. RANZCO's esteemed Named Lectures anchor the congress, honouring the legacies of Dame Ida Mann, Sir Norman Gregg and Fred Hollows alongside the Council Lecture:
- Opening Speaker — Dr Michelle Dickinson
- Council Lecture — Prof Robyn Guymer AM
- Gregg Lecture — Prof Chris Hammond
- Ida Mann Lecture — Prof Robert Casson
- Hollows Lecture — Dr Gullapalli N. Rao
Each named lecture is complemented by specialised Update Lectures across the major subspecialties, delivered by leading international experts: Cataract with Dr David Chang, Glaucoma with Prof Anthony Khawaja, Neuro-ophthalmology with Prof Valerie Biousse, Retina with Prof Dan Martin, and Refractive with Dr Ik Hee Ryu.
Beyond the plenaries, the congress runs its usual dense schedule of subspecialty scientific sessions, submitted paper and poster presentations, film festival entries, instructional courses and hands-on wet labs, plus a large trade exhibition covering surgical platforms, imaging, IOLs and practice technology. Registration opened on 9 June with early bird closing 22 September 2026; the full programme goes live across September and October.
Auckland itself is part of the draw. The NZICC sits in the central city, a short walk from the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and the Auckland War Memorial Museum, with Waiheke Island, the Waitākere Ranges and the Hauraki Gulf all within easy reach for delegates extending their stay.
For ophthalmologists, fellows and trainees in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, RANZCO 57 is a well-run route to Australasian and international faculty in one place — particularly valuable for those following cataract and retina practice patterns outside the usual European and North American circuits.
