Retina Clinical Trial Update 2026

Now more than ever, patients and the lay public educate themselves about medical diagnoses and treatments through online resources. But high view counts and production quality don't equate to medical accuracy. In today's episode, host Dr. Andrew Pouw welcomes glaucoma specialist Dr. Soshian Sarrafpour to discuss the alarming rise of dangerous medical misinformation targeting patients on social media and through AI. Because glaucoma is characterized by chronic uncertainty and fear, patients are particularly vulnerable to misleading claims and algorithmic search biases. Dr. Sarrafpour stresses that ophthalmologists must avoid being patently dismissive of information patients may bring to their visits. Instead, validate their concerns with empathy to maintain trust and steer them toward credible medical information and treatment. For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts.

Retina is producing Phase 3 results faster than ever, but FDA approval doesn't necessarily convey how a drug will fit into practice. Dr. Ehsan Rahimy joins host Dr. Jay Sridhar to unpack recent and somewhat puzzling trial results involving tyrosine kinase inhibitors, IL-6 inhibition, and the Wnt signaling pathway. They then confront the harder problem: When every trial uses a different population, comparator, and dosing scheme—and none tests against today's second-generation anti-VEGF agents—real-world practice is often shaped by anecdote rather than evidence. For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly recasting how we interact with our world and our patients. In today's epside, host Dr. Amanda Redfern welcomes Dr. Chris Kelly, Chief Health Information Officer at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), to provide an inside look at tools available in the clinic today, what's on the horizon, and why he's bullish about the future of health care in the AI era. For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts.

What's a mom-to-be to do if she's also an ophthalmologist? In part 2 of this two-part series, host Dr. Ben Young invites Dr. Fei Cai, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and obstetrician, to review the essentials of pre- and postnatal care, what to be mindful of if practicing while pregnant, and how your residency or fellowship training program can be expected to support you.  For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts.

Can becoming a mother be compatible with being an ophthalmic surgeon? In part one of this two-part series, Host Dr. Ben Young invites Dr. Jaya Kumar to discuss the challenging fertility and maternal health outcomes for female surgeons, her tips for how she practiced while pregnant and then returned successfully to work, and how physicians can support one another in the operating room. Referenced during the episode: MotherToBaby Dr. MILK (Mothers Interested in Lactation Knowledge) Pregnancy Discrimination and Pregnancy-Related Disability Discrimination (US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) ACGME Common Program Requirements Tools for Responding to Patient-Initiated Verbal Sexual Harassment (Eyerounds.org) For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts.

For hundreds of years, ophthalmologists have known what glaucoma is—and yet, we still can't agree on its diagnostic criteria. In today's episode, Drs. Benjamin Xu and Sophia Wang join host Dr. Andrew Pouw to talk about the latest efforts to define glaucoma and the implications for both research and clinical decision-making. For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced more concerning proposals that will affect access to care and reimbursement. Host Dr. Andrew Pouw reconvenes last year's guests from the Academy's DC office—Dr. John McAllister, Brandy Keys, and Rebecca Hyder—to unpack the proposed 2027 Physician Fee Schedule and explain how the changes will disproportionately burden surgical specialties. For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts.

In today's episode, host Dr. Ben Young is joined by Dr. Stephen McLeod, Academy CEO, and Rebecca Hyder, Vice President of Governmental Affairs. The panel discusses why we have a National Eye Institute (NEI), how it was successfully preserved as an independent, stand-alone entity within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and what threats to the institute remain on the horizon. For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts.

In today's episode, host Dr. Amanda Redfern welcomes Dr. Madhura Tamhankar to discuss a new study using IRIS Registry and Komodo Health claims data that upends Rundle's 1940s biphasic model of thyroid eye disease (TED). Drawing on more than 34,000 patients with 5-year median follow-up, Dr. Tamhankar's study found that even among patients with initially mild disease, 1 in 3 progress within 5 years, with rates climbing from 12% at year 1 to 38% by year 8. Dr. Tamhankar reviews the study's methodology and its implications for patient care, including surgical timing, informed consent, and specialist referral. For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts.

Host Dr. Jay Sridhar welcomes Dr. Steven Gedde, the incoming CEO of the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO), to discuss his outlook on medical education and the evolving board certification process. As medical knowledge now doubles approximately every 60 days, Dr. Gedde envisions the ABO shifting its focus from testing facts to assessing skills like communication, professionalism, and the use of technology. Although current surgical assessments focus on knowledge and decision-making, future evaluations may leverage AI and virtual reality to test technical competence.  For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts.