Newsletter WAEH | September 2026
WAEH Community of Practice
Human Resources | 24 September 2026
On September 24, our Human Resources Community of Practice will meet to share ideas and best practices about wellness and welfare of employees in eye hospitals worldwide.
The CoP is led by Sue Steen, Chief People Officer at the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (London, United Kingdom).
🗓️ Thursday, September 24 2026
🕐 01:00 PM CEST
💻 Online (Zoom)
Are you interested in participating in this Community of Practice? Register now!👇🏼
Join us!
🎉Our 20th Annual Meeting is coming up, and this year we are celebrating our Jubileum Year!
Everyone is warmly welcome to join us for this special edition, taking place in São Paulo and Londrina, Brazil and in Santiago, Chile from 9–16 November 2026.
Hosts of this 20th Annual Meeting are the Instituto Suel Abujamra (São Paulo, Brazil), Hoftalon Eye Hospital (Londrina, Brazil) and the Clínica Oftalmológica Pasteur (Santiago, Chile).
The meeting is a great opportunity to:
- Network and collaborate with colleagues from eye hospitals around the world
- Discover the latest global developments in eye hospital care
- Engage in meaningful discussions and exchange experiences
Discover the 20th Annual Meeting:
Locations, Programme & Hosts
You can find the overall structure and the preliminary programme of the 20th annual meeting here.
Source: Adobe Stock
Meet the 2026 speakers
As always, we are excited to welcome a wonderful group of inspiring speakers who will share their knowledge, experiences and insights. Their abstracts are already available, giving you a sneak peek at what they will be presenting during the meeting. The abstracts span our key themes for 2026, including:
- Eye Hospital Management
- Patient Experience (User Experience)
- Digital Transformation in Eye Care
- Public Health Systems & Comparative Models
- Human Resources & the Workforce of the Future – From Boomers to GenZ
- Quality of Care in Eye Care
- Applied Research & Innovation in Eye Hospitals
Are you a 2026 speaker?
Are you a 2026 speaker and would like to run through the programme for the 20th WAEH Meeting?
Join one of our WAEH Consultation Hours, where you can ask any questions you may have about the meeting, your presentation, or anything else related to the WAEH. We’re happy to help!
- Monday, 21 September – 13.00 PM CEST
- Monday October 5 – 13.00 PM CEST
- Online meeting link
Register for the in person meeting
Deadline 30 of September 2026
Is your eyehospital a full member? Two attendees are included in the membership.
Is your eyehospital an associate member? One attendee is included in the membership.
Of course you can attend with more than 2 persons!
Request the code to register for free via Maaike: Maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org
Please note that all membership fees have to be paid before registering with this code.
Present a poster during the 20th Annual Meeting!
All WAEH members are invited to design a poster for the 20th Annual Meeting.
Get started on your design today!
Source: WAEH Annual Meeting 2024
Don’t forget to book your hotel
If you haven’t booked your hotel yet, check out our recommended hotels!
For your safety and convenience, we strongly recommend staying at one of these hotels.
Explore the Amazon
Explore the Amazon before the 20th Annual Meeting begins by joining a special pre-meeting trip organized by our host, Instituto Suel Abujamra!
Source: Adobe Stock
What to expect – looking back at our 2025 Annual Meeting in France and Switzerland
Source: WAEH Annual Meeting 2025
Sponsors of the 20th Annual Meeting
São Paulo, Brazil
Santiago, Chile
Want to become a sponsor yourself?
Has this exciting event sparked your interest? Would you like to contribute by becoming one of our sponsors? Get in touch with Maaike van Zuilen to receive all details regarding our sponsorship packages!
We are also happy to offer a tailor-made sponsorship package that suits your needs!
WAEH projects of 2026
Each year, three to four projects are carried out to help improve ophthalmic care on a global scale. These projects are funded through the general WAEH budget, and the insights and results are shared with the wider global eye hospital community during the Annual Meeting and through the WAEH Knowledge Hub.
On 31 August, we will officially launch this year’s projects. During the Project Launch, experts from Aravind Eye Care System, India and Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Australia will share their knowledge and insights on key project skills, helping project teams get off to a strong start.
This year the following 4 projects started:
- Development and Evaluation of a Nurse-Led Ophthalmic Emergency Triage Protocol
- Visions App: Multilingual Expansion Platform
- Establishment of WAEH Dashboard
- Development of a Practical Glaucoma Grading System
Are you interested to be part of these projects? Contact Maaike van Zuilen.
Want to read more about the projects of 2026?
Looking ahead to 2027
WAEH Project Funding
If your eye hospital is a WAEH member, you may be eligible for project funding. Each year, the WAEH supports three to four projects with grants of up to €7,500 per project.
Next application round
- Submission deadline: 31 January 2027
- Review: Proposals will be evaluated by the WAEH Board during its meeting at the end of March 2027.
- Requirement: All proposals must be submitted using the standard WAEH Project Proposal Format.
Send your request for the project proposal format to Maaike van Zuilen at
Join the WAEH Community
The WAEH Community is a platform where you and colleagues from around the world canto share updates, discuss ideas, exchange documents, and stay connected. Besides collaboration, the WAEH Community will also feature news, events and dedicated groups for the Communities of Practice.
Please register for the WAEH Community using your hospital email address:
If you do not have a hospital email address, or if registration does not work for your email address, please contact support@waeh.org with your name, email and hospital affiliation.
Note: the WAEH Community is only for employees of WAEH member hospitals!
Building the next generation of leaders in eye care
As part of WAEH’s commitment to strengthening leadership across the global eye care community (and part of our strategy 2025 – 2031), the WAEH is exploring the development of a new Leadership Programme for eye hospital professionals worldwide.
The programme is envisioned as a year-long learning journey focused on leadership, innovation, collaboration, and the future of eye care. The ambition is to develop a first outline together with interested WAEH members and present an initial concept during the WAEH Annual Meeting in São Paulo this November. Following further refinement, we aim to launch the programme in January 2027.
To make sure the programme reflects the needs and ambitions of our community, we are looking for members who would like to join a small working group and help shape its content, format, and learning experience. Whether you are an experienced leader, an emerging professional, or passionate about developing leadership in eye care, your input would be highly valued.
We are also inviting expressions of interest from potential participants. If you would be interested in joining the first cohort when the programme launches in 2027, please let us know.
Interested in helping design the programme or participating as a future learner? We’d love to hear from you.
Please email Maaike van Zuilen: maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org
WAEH Community of Practice
FAIR Images in Ophthalmology |
27 August 2026
On Thursday 27 August 2026, the WAEH held its Community of Practice on FAIR Data in Ophthalmology, led by Ciara Bergin, Chief Data Officer at Fondation Asile des Aveugles in Lausanne, and moderated by Maaike van Zuilen, Global Lead of the WAEH.
The session focused on the practical implementation of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) data principles in eye hospitals. Participants discussed key challenges in managing ophthalmic imaging data, including inconsistent metadata, limited DICOM standardisation, proprietary formats and difficulties integrating devices into PACS.
A key priority identified was the development of a shared metadata mapping to support the reliable reuse of imaging data across devices, hospitals and systems. The group agreed to work towards mapping imaging devices across the network, broaden participation and explore opportunities for a consensus paper and future workshops.
Want to know more about FAIR data in ophthalmology and the discussions within the Community?
Read the full report and watch the recording via the WAEH Community👇🏼
Note: the WAEH Community is for members only. Not registered yet? Please register yourself here for the WAEH Community using your hospital email address.
IAPB’s Advocacy to Action roundtable
10 Years of the Godavarthi Satyanarayana Murthy Eye Centre, Kapileswarapuram
News from our full member LV Prasad Eye Institute
Visit to Unity Health Londrina in Brazil
Building the Future of Ophthalmic Surgery Together
News from our full member the Rotterdam Eye Hospital
Glaucoma Insights course
News from our full member the St. Erik Eye Hospital
2026
September
─
Thursday, 17 September
Grand Rounds by Wilmer Eye Institute: Cornea
Saturday, 19 September
Workshop by Moorfields Education: Biometry study day
Tuesday, 22 September
Wills Eye Hospital – Shields Ocular Oncology Rounds
Thursday, 24 September
Grand Rounds by Wilmer Eye Institute: Pediatrics
Thursday, 24 September | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – Human Resources
Friday, 25 September
Kellogg Eye Center – 32nd Annual Fall Alumni Reunion
Saturday, 26 September
Wills Eye Hospital – Complicated Cataract Cases: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach
October
─
Thursday, 1 October
Workshop by Moorfields Education: Dry Eye course
Thursday, 1 October
Grand Rounds by Wilmer Eye Institute: General
Tuesday, 6 October
Workshop by Moorfields Education: Advanced spectacle dispensing course
Thursday, 8 October | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Board Meeting
Want to share ideas with the board? Please share: maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org
Tuesday, 13 October
Workshop by Moorfields Education: Ocular oncology: A masterclass for optometrists and allied health professionals
Wednesday, 14 October
Workshop by Moorfields Education: Ocular oncology: Testing the genome in ophthalmology – what’s new?
Thursday, 15 October
Grand Rounds by Wilmer Eye Institute: Uveitis
Friday, 16 October
Workshop by Moorfields Education: Moorfields DMEK (Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty) wet lab
Wednesday, 21 October
Workshop by Moorfields Education: Eye emergencies for the non-ophthalmologist
Saturday, 24 October
The Wilmer Eye Institute’s 28th Annual Technician Course
Saturday, 24 October
Workshop by Moorfields Education: Ophthalmic emergency study day
Thursday, 29 October | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – Nurses and Allied Health Personnel
November
─
Friday, 6 November
Workshop by Moorfields Education: Paediatric eye emergencies for the non-paediatric ophthalmologist
Friday, 6 November
Wills Eye Hospital – Calhoun Pediatric Ophthalmology Forum
Saturday, 7 November
Workshop by Moorfields Education: Basic slit lamp and Goldmann tonometry study day
9 – 16 November
20th Annual WAEH Meeting in Brazil and Chile
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
10 – 11 November
Workshop by Moorfields Education: Fundoscopy training programme
Friday, 13 November
Workshop by Moorfields Education: Moorfields Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS)
Friday, 20 November
Workshop by Moorfields Education: Non-medical intravitreal injection course
26 – 27 November
St. Erik Eye Hospital – Glaucoma Insights course
Friday, 27 November
Workshop by Moorfields Education: Oculoplastic nursing and allied professionals study day
December
─
Thursday, 3 December | 13.00 PM CET
WAEH Board Meeting
Want to share ideas with the board? Please share: maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org
Friday, 11 December
Workshop by Moorfields Education: Hypotony: Diagnosis and management: From theory to practice
Thursday, 17 December | 13.00 PM CET
WAEH Community of Practice – Innovation
2027
January
─
21-28 January
Training by Aravind Eye Care System: Management Priorities in Eye Care Delivery for Heads of Eye Hospitals
Thursday, 28 January | 01.00 PM CET
WAEH Community of Practice – Finances
Saturday, 30 January
Moorfields MAVERICK 2027: Advanced Vitreoretinal Congress
February
─
17 February – 2 March
Training by Aravind Eye Care System: Management Training for Eye Care Programme Managers
Thursday, 25 February | 01.00 PM CET
WAEH Community of Practice – Fundraising
March
─
Thursday, 25 March | 01.00 PM CET
WAEH Community of Practice – FAIR Images in Ophthalmology
April
─
Thursday, 29 April | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – Human Resources
May
─
Thursday, 27 May | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – Nurses and Allied Health Personnel
June
─
Thursday, 24 June | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – Innovation
July
─
Thursday, 1 July | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – Finances
August
─
Thursday, 26 August | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – Fundraising
September
─
Thursday, 30 September | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – FAIR images in Ophthalmology
October
─
Thursday, 28 October | 01.00 PM CEST
WAEH Community of Practice – Human Resources
December
─
Thursday, 16 December | 01.00 PM CET
WAEH Community of Practice – Nurses and Allied Health Personnel
2028
January
─
Thursday, 27 January | 01.00 PM CET
WAEH Community of Practice – Innovation
February
─
Thursday, 24 February | 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