We invite researchers and professionals to submit abstracts for consideration for presentation at the 6th African Retinal Society (ARS) Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting. This is an opportunity to showcase your work, share insights, and contribute to advancements in retinal research and clinical practice. Ending April 30, 2026

Featured Speakers

Meet Our Event Speakers

SriniVas R. Sadda, MD, is the Director of Artificial Intelligence & Imaging Research at the Doheny Eye Institute, and Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) Geffen School of Medicine. He is the immediate past President of the Doheny Eye Institute, the Macula Society, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). He is also a past President of the International Retinal Imaging Society and the Executive Director of the global RIMR AMD Consortium. He received his MD from Johns Hopkins University, where he also completed ophthalmology residency and neuro-ophthalmology and medical retina fellowships (Wilmer Eye Institute).

Dr. Sadda’s major research interests include retinal image analysis, advanced retinal imaging technologies, and clinical trial endpoint design. He was the Founding Director of the Doheny Image Reading Center. He has more than 900 peer-reviewed publications (h-index = 117; > 59,000 citations) and 20 book chapters, and has given over 650 presentations worldwide. Dr. Sadda is Editor-in-Chief of the 7^th Edition of Ryan’s Retina. He also serves as an Editor-in-Chief of Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology and is an editorial board member of Ophthalmic Surgery, Lasers & Imaging, Retina, Ophthalmology Retina, Ophthalmology Science and Ophthalmology. Among Dr. Sadda’s awards and honors are a Research to Prevent Blindness Physician-Scientist Award, a Senior Honor Award from the American Society of Retina Specialists, an Achievement Award and a Secretariat Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, John H. Zumberge Research and Innovation Award, the Macula Society’s Young Investigator Award, American Society of Retina Specialists Young Investigator Award, Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Achievement Award, The Macula Society’s Paul Henkind Lecture and W. Richard Green Lecture, the Euretina Lecture, The Retina Society’s Charles Schepens Lecture, Vitreoretinal Society of India Nataraja Pillai Oration, and the APVRS International Award Lecture (2025). He served as President of the Macula Society and ARVO from 2024 – 2025. Dr. Sadda’s research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for several years, including two current R01 grants from the National Eye Institute. He has been named to the Best Doctors of America list for several consecutive years.

Pearse Keane is Professor of Artificial Medical Intelligence at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, and a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. He is a UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellow and a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigator. He is originally from Ireland and received his medical degree from University College Dublin (UCD), graduating in 2002.

In 2016, he initiated a collaboration between Moorfields Eye Hospital and Google DeepMind, with the aim of developing artificial intelligence (Al) algorithms for the earlier detection and treatment of retinal disease. In August 2018, the first results of this collaboration were published in the journal, Nature Medicine. In 2023, he led the development of RETFound, the first foundation model in ophthalmology, published in Nature and made available open source

In October 2019, he was included on the Evening Standard Progress1000 list of most influential Londoners, he was profiled in The Economist. In 2025, he received the Gabor Medal from the Royal Society in the United Kingdom and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in the United States.

Dr. Jennifer I. Lim serves as the Marion H Schenk Esq. Chair in Ophthalmology for Research in the Aging Eye at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where she is a UIC Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology, Vice Chair for Diversity & Inclusion and Director of the Retina Service. She received her MD with Distinction from Northwestern University (Six-Years Honors Program in Medical Education), where she was AOA and received the Dean’s AOA Student Research Award and the Julius Conn Memorial Award. She completed residency at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, receiving the Resident Research Award and the American College of Surgeons Resident Competition Chicago Chapter Keeshin Prize. She completed medical and surgical retina fellowships at Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins Hospital as a Heed Fellow and Heed Knapp Fellow. She joined the faculty of Emory University as an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and was recruited to Doheny Eye Institute of University of Southern California (USC) as an Associate Professor with tenure and promoted to Professor. In 2007, she was recruited to UIC.

Her research interests include clinical trials (all phases), translational research, AI, and retinal imaging for which she has a R01 NIH grant (Co-PI on “Differential artery-vein analysis in OCT angiography for objective classification of diabetic retinopathy”.) She has received research funding from the National Eye Institute, Macula Society Research Fund, American Cancer Society, and numerous industry grants (clinical trials and Investigator Initiated Studies). She has been principal investigator in more than sixty clinical trials and currently serves on several Data and Monitoring Committees.

Currently, her leadership positions include EyeWiki Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor for JAMA Ophthalmology, Treasurer of The Macula Society, AOA UIC Medical School Councilor, and IOVS Editorial Board member. She is a former President of several ophthalmic organizations, including The Retina Society, Women in Ophthalmology (WIO), Chinese American Ophthalmology Society (CAOS), and Chicago Ophthalmological Society. She is a former Chair of Women in Retina (WinR) and former UIC Faculty Senator. She co-founded Women in Retina.

Dr. Lim has received the AAO Life Achievement Honor Award, AAO Secretariat Awards, ASRS Presidential and Senior Honor Award, Women in Ophthalmology (WIO) Suzanne-Veronneau Troutman Award, ARVO Silver & Gold Fellow Awards, the Paul Henkind Memorial Award from Macula Society, Women in Ophthalmology (WIO) Scientific Contribution Award, Chinese American Ophthalmology Pioneer Award and Service awards, Heed Society of Fellows Heed Gutman Award, NEOS Taylor Smith Medal, Donald M. Gass MD Beacon of Sight Award, USC teaching awards, ASRS Retina Hall of Fame, UIC Departmental Faculty of the Year Award, Mother McAuley Liberal Arts HS Hall of Honor Award, inaugural UIC Distinguished Sweeney Lecturer and featured in Top Doctors, Best Doctors in America. She has been elected as an Honorary Member of the ASCI (American Society for Clinical Investigation) and is a member of the 2025 ELAM Class. She has authored over 375 articles, thirty book chapters and several books including Age-Related Macular Degeneration (now in the Third Edition) and Case Studies in Medical Retina: A Diagnostic Approach (2024).

She enjoys caring for patients, participating in research, teaching and mentoring students, residents, and fellows. In her spare time, she plays piano, creates photo books, and reads (her book club was founded in 2014).