Ophthalmology conferences in the coronavirus disease 2019 era

To discuss key considerations involved in adapting an in-person ophthalmology conference to a virtual medium.

In 2020, several ophthalmological societies have held or are planning to hold virtual conferences in lieu of their previously scheduled in-person ophthalmology conference because of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The strategic meeting components attempted to be retained in these transitions include educational information disseminating, academic discussion with colleagues, sponsorships, and networking. Live-streamed components of a virtual conference may be entirely real time or may include a combination of both prerecorded and live-streamed components. A virtual meeting may offer either a single live-streamed program or several concurrent live-streamed programs from which attendees can choose. The availability of on-demand content, mechanisms for audience participation, avenues for industry interaction and contribution, registration costs, and continuing medical education credit availability vary between virtual meeting formats.

Transition of an in-person ophthalmology conference to a virtual format with retention of the inherent value associated with the meeting is possible and the experiences of societies executing this adaptation can be helpful for others entering this space. There are numerous considerations regarding meeting format and logistics to contemplate in light of each meeting's specific audience and objectives.