Newsletter WAEH | April 2026
20th Annual Meeting: send in your proposals now!
🎉Our 20th Annual Meeting is coming up, and this year we are celebrating our Jubileum Year!
This year the board meeting will be in São Paulo from 9-13 November to share best practices in eye hospitals worldwide. There will also be facultative visits to Londrina (Brazil) and Santiago (Chile) from 13 – 16 November.
Host of the meeting
- Instituto Suel Abujamra, São Paulo, Brazil
- Hoftalon Eye Hospital, Londrina, Brazil
- Clínica Oftalmológica Pasteur, Santiago, Chile
Itinerary
- Monday 9 – Friday 13 November: Stay in São Paulo, Brazil
- Evening 13 or morning 14 November: Travel to Londrina, Brazil (facultative)
- Saturday 14 November: Visit Londrina, Brazil (facultative)
- Sunday 15 November: Travel to Santiago, Chile (facultative)
- Monday 16 November: Visit Santiago, Chile (facultative)
Register now!
Registration for our 20th Annual Meeting is open for members & non-members.
Registration deadline: 31 October 2026
Call for Abstracts
We are now accepting abstract submissions until 30 April 2026! Share your research, experiences, or innovative projects with our international eye hospital community.
Topics of the 20th Annual WAEH Meeting will be:
- Eye Hospital Management: Strategic and operational management of eye hospitals, focusing on financial sustainability, performance, and organizational growth.
- Patient Experience (User Experience): Designing and improving the complete patient journey in eye care, across physical and digital touchpoints, from first contact to long-term follow-up.
- Digital Transformation in Eye Care : Challenges and hurdles of digital transformation in eye care, including implementing a new Electronic Patient File, how to work FAIR in collecting images in ophthalmology and developing AI models to diagnose glaucoma in an early stage.
- Public Health Systems & Comparative Models: Understanding and comparing global health system models and their impact on access, financing, and delivery of eye care.
- Human Resources & the Workforce of the Future – From Boomers to GenZ: Rethinking workforce strategies in eye hospitals to bridge generations, develop new skills, and build resilient, motivated teams.
- Quality of Care in Eye Care : Ensuring high-quality, safe, and outcome-driven eye care through measurement, standardization, and continuous improvement.
- Applied research & innovation in Eye Hospitals: Share applied, non-clinical research from your eye hospital – topics can include for example research on big data, artificial intelligence, improving the efficiency of patient pathways, developing outcome measurement indicators and improving quality of care and operations.
Submit your abstract below! 👇🏼
The World Association of Eye Hospitals warmly welcomes the first member from Africa: Kabgayi Eye Unit of the Kabgayi Hospital from Muhanga, Rwanda!
The WAEH is excited about the potential and contributions that this eye hospital will bring to the organization. Through communities of practice, yearly projects and the annual meeting, we strive to support innovations in the Kabgayi Eye Unit and learn from their expertise to further advancements in ophthalmology world-wide!
Learn more about the Kabgayi Eye Unit on their website, or join the upcoming annual meeting to meet their team!
The WAEH would love to welcome more African clinics and eye hospitals to the community. Interested? Please contact Maaike van Zuilen!
Call for expertise: Assistance Animal Procedure
Does your team have knowledge and experiences around supporting assistance animals in eye hospitals? We would like to learn from your expertise!
The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (Melbourne, Australia) is currently exploring how to best accommodate consumers who use seeing eye dogs, and is interested in learning how other members approach this. In particular, they are looking for insights on supporting both the comfort and practical needs of assistance dogs and their owners – such as suitable spaces, staff training and toileting arrangements.
If your hospital has any practices, policies, or creative solutions in place, we would love for you to share your experience by sending an email to Joanne Brodie <Joanne.Brodie@eyeandear.org.au>. Even small ideas or lessons learned could be really valuable to others in the network.
Thanks in advance for contributing to this shared learning across the WAEH community!
Join our Community of Practice –
Nurses and Allied Health Personnel
The Community of Practice – Nurses is for all nurses and allied health staff working in eye hospitals worldwide. Topics like task differentiation, pain medication and ophthalmic training for nurses are discussed.
This Community of Practice is led by Tendai Gwenhure, Senior Clinical Educator from Moorfields Eye Hospital (London, United Kingdom) and Diana Malata, Advanced Nurse from Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (Dublin, Ireland).
The Community of Practice will include a presentation by Denise Del Valle, Oculoplastic Registered Nurse and Lisa Coton, Nurse specialist from the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (Miami, United States). The title of their presentation is: ‘From Diagnosis to Management: Incorporating the Caritas Processes in the Ophthalmic Journey of Patients with Thyroid Eye Disease at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute’.
WAEH Projects – join or learn!
There will also be two updates from WAEH projects. Catherine Mancuso, Manager Diagnostic Eye Services from the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (Australia) will present an update from their WAEH Project ‘Advanced Practice Orthoptists: Co-management and Care Plan Facilitation’. Enas AlAmri, Director of Patient Experience at the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (Saudi Arabia) will present an update from their WAEH Project ‘Developing Guidelines for Nursing and Allied Healthcare Staff to assist Visually Impaired Patients’.
🗓️ Thursday, April 30, 2026
🕐 01:00 PM CET
💻 Online (Zoom)
Are you interested in participating in this Community of Practice? Register now!👇🏼
After registration you’ll receive an e-mail with the link to join the meeting on Thursday, April 30.
Please note that this session is only open to staff working at WAEH member eye hospitals. Not a member yet? Join the global WAEH community via our website.
WAEH Community of Practice –
Human Resources | 26 March 2026
On Thursday 26 March 2026, the WAEH held its Community of Practice on Human Resources, led by Jos Hubers, HR manager from The Rotterdam Eye Hospital (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) and Sue Steen, Chief People Officer at the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (London, United Kingdom). The session was moderated by Maaike van Zuilen, Global Lead of WAEH, and brought together eye hospital professionals from Chili, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Rwanda, Sweden, Indonesia, Singapore and Pakistan.
In the meeting, Sue Steen presented how Moorfields Eye Hospital is undertaking a challenging transformation: the introduction of a new electronic patient record (EPR) system in 2026, followed by a full move to the Oriel facility in London in 2027. This dual transition is reshaping how care is delivered, how staff work, and how clinical services, research, and education are integrated within the new facility. It also brings significant operational and cultural challenges, particularly as both changes are happening within a compressed timeframe. Sue shared practical insights on managing large-scale change, supporting staff through uncertainty, and aligning digital and physical transformation.
Sue explained that coordinating major changes, such as implementing a new EPR system alongside a hospital move, requires careful sequencing and clear communication to minimize disruption. Moorfields also invested in targeted change management and strategic allocation of resources, to ensure that support is focused on the areas where staff are most affected. Moreover, early and ongoing engagement with employees further helps teams adapt effectively to new systems, workflows, and hybrid ways of working.
Read the full report and watch the full recording on the Knowledge Hub website (for members only)👇🏼
Are you a member but do not have a login code for the Knowledge Hub? Send an email to by clicking the button below! 👇🏼
The Community of Practice – Human Resources will come together again on 24 September 2026, as part of WAEH’s ongoing programme of Communities of Practice on key topics in eye hospital management.
Progress update on Sunderland’s New Eye Hospital as opening nears
News from our full member South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Construction of Sunderland’s new Eye Hospital continues at pace with the landmark facility on track to open in summer 2026.
In recent weeks, the project has reached several major milestones. External hoardings have now been removed, offering the public their first full view of the new hospital taking shape in the city centre.
Ex-Moorfields volunteer now saving people’s sight
News from our full member Moorfields Eye Hospital
Recently, we featured a study published by our hypotony service, which showed remarkable results, giving Nicki and others their sight back.
Dr. Karla Orsine Murta Dias, uveitis fellow, is one of the team, having joined Moorfields in 2020, but her journey here actually started in 2018.
Dr. Jalali from LVPEI delivers the P Namperumalsamy Lecture 2026 at AIOC
News from our full member LV Prasad Eye Institute
The P Namperumalsamy Lecture is a prestigious oration delivered at the All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS) annual conferences, honoring Dr P Namperumalsamy’s pioneering contributions to ophthalmology, particularly in vitreoretinal surgery, diabetic retinopathy screening, and scalable rural eye care models.
Singapore National Eye Centre 35th Anniversary International Meeting
News from our full member Singapore National Eye Centre
The Singapore National Eye Centre 35th Anniversary International Meeting, in conjunction with the 8th Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Congress, will be held from 24 – 26 July 2026, at the Suntec Convention Centre, Singapore.
Registration is Now Open! Visit the congress website for more details.
Wilmer in Focus Newsletter | March 2026
News from our full member Wilmer Eye Institute Johns Hopkins Medicine
Read the most recent issue of the Wilmer in Focus newsletter – featuring the latest news, staff updates, awards and honors, and upcoming events – below!👇🏼
LVPEI Monthly Note: Hope | March 2026
News from our full member LV Prasad Eye Institute
Rithvik Marri, a confident 18-year-old, gave us all a moment of pride and joy this month. Rithvik took up chess during the pandemic and in 2025, began building a serious Elo score, a metric to measure relative scores in chess. Today he holds an Elo of 1847 placing him at an expert level (for context, a grandmaster has an Elo of 2500). In February 2026, he secured third place at a national chess championship organised by the All India Chess Federation for the Blind.
Rithvik first came to us as a 35-day-old baby nearly 18 years ago…
A new, world-class centre for eye care, research, and education, opening is Camden in 2027 has been officially named.
Moorfields World-class eye health centre in London named
News from our full member Moorfields Eye Hospital
A partnership between Moorfields Eye Hospital, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, and Moorfields Eye Charity, the new centre will be called Moorfields and UCL Centre for Eye Health and is expected to open its doors to patients in St Pancras, Camden in summer 2027.
Visit to the Rotterdam Eye Hospital – The Netherlands
On Tuesday 31 March 2026, Cristine Couto, Healthcare Manager in ophthalmology services in Brazil – former employee of Suel Abujamra – and valued friend of the WAEH, was welcomed by the Rotterdam Eye Hospital for a work visit.
“The visit was an opportunity for exchanging experiences and ideas to improve the services we provide here in Brazil. Observing the Rotterdam Eye Hospital’s efficient patient flow and exceptional service delivery firsthand greatly enhanced my knowledge as a healthcare manager and inspired me to implement meaningful improvements in the services we provide to our patients,” says Cristine.
“I want to sincerely thank the Rotterdam hospital for the wonderful exchange of experiences and the warm welcome we shared. Your hospitality made it truly memorable!”
2026
April
─
Monday, 13 April
Workshops by Moorfields Education: Cataract, medical retina and disc assessment
Saturday, 18 April
Workshops by Moorfields Education: International refractive symposium
Saturday, 18 April
Workshops by Moorfields Education: Biometry study day
Saturday, 25 April
Workshops by Moorfields Education: Ophthalmic emergency study day
Thursday, 30 April | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – Nurses and Allied Health Personnel
May
─
Wednesday, 6 May
Workshops by Moorfields Education: Basic slit lamp and Goldmann tonometry study day
Friday, 8 May
Workshops by Moorfields Education: Ocular oncology for the non-ocular oncologist: what you need to know for clinical practice
Monday, 18 May
Workshops by Moorfields Education: Botulinum toxin: Is it injector error, side effects or complications
Thursday, 28 May | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – Innovation
June
─
1-4 June
Workshops by Moorfields Education: The macula course
Friday, 12 June
Workshops by Moorfields Education: DALK wet lab
4-6 June
IAPB- 2030 IN SIGHT LIVE | Kenya
Thursday, 11 June | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Board Meeting
Want to share ideas with the board? Please share: maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org
22-24 June
Workshops by Moorfields Education: New to Ophthalmology
Thursday, 25 June | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – Finances
July
─
Thursday, 2 July | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – Fundraising
2-4 July
Workshops by Moorfields Education: 60th Ophthalmic Oncology Group (OOG) Meeting
Friday, 10 July
Workshops by Moorfields Education: Non-medical intravitreal injection course
14-15 July
Workshops by Moorfields Education: Vitreoretinal wet-lab simulation course
24-26 July
SNEC 35th Anniversary International Meeting | Singapore
July 29 – August 4
Workshops by Moorfields Education: Ophthalmology Summer School
August
─
July 29 – August 4
Workshops by Moorfields Education: Ophthalmology Summer School
26-28 August
13th Annual COECSA Conference | Uganda
Thursday, 27 August | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – FAIR images in Ophthalmology
September
─
Thursday, 24 September | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – Human Resources
28 September – 1 October
ICEVI World Conference | South-Africa
October
─
28 September – 1 October
ICEVI World Conference | South-Africa
Thursday, 8 October | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Board Meeting
Want to share ideas with the board? Please share: maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org
Thursday, 29 October | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – Nurses and Allied Health Personnel
November
─
9-16 November
20th Annual WAEH Meeting in Brazil
Please check out the event website and register yourself.
All CoP’s have their meeting during the Annual Meeting.
Tuesday, 10 November
WAEH Board Meeting – in person meeting in Brazil
Want to share ideas with the board? Please share: maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org
December
─
Thursday, 3 December | 13.00 PM CET
WAEH Board Meeting
Want to share ideas with the board? Please share: maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org
Thursday, 17 December | 13.00 PM CET
WAEH Community of Practice – Innovation
2027
January
─
Thursday, 28 January | 01.00 PM CET
WAEH Community of Practice – Finances
Questions? Share news?
Do you have a special request? Would you like to organize a webinar or share news? Would you like to be (digitally) connected to a certain person in one of our member eye hospitals? Please feel very welcome to share your questions via the new Community Tool or contact Maaike van Zuilen: Maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org