Eyeworld

EW AAO 2016 50 by Ellen Stodola EyeWorld Senior Staff Writer In the afternoon, sessions will focus on a variety of topics. There will be information on public com- panies, as well as the concept of an ophthalmology index of companies. Dr. Kliman said he will be running a panel on innovative financing for ophthalmology, which will go outside the usual talk about venture capital and going public. There will also be a session on global ophthal- mic franchises, focusing on compa- nies trying to expand their franchise in ophthalmology and create some- thing that is truly global. The "Masters of the Industry" session will again conclude the day of programming. "We try to have that at every meeting and get some of the most senior people in the industry to talk," Dr. Kliman said. Last year's attendance at OIS was close to 1,000 people, and the organizers expect a similar crowd this year. "It's hard to predict, but it seems like we can expect a big turn- out," Dr. Kliman said, with Chicago being a popular location. EW Contact information Kliman: gkliman@interwest.com in the past whether there should be separate tracks on the program, he said the organizers preferred to leave one track, which gives attendees the chance to network between sessions and during presentations that might not apply specifically to their areas of interest. The popular breakfast breakout sessions will be back at this year's meeting, taking place before the programming starts in the morning. Topics covered will include dry eye, MIGS, refractive correction, gene and stem cell therapies, and working with the FDA. "We always try to do some of the old and some of the new," Dr. Kliman said. In addition to the company showcases and breakfast breakout sessions, there will be a number of panels and discussions on topics such as financing, the mar- ket, and going public. This year, the OIS Innovator Award will be given not to an indi- vidual but to a company. Allergan (Dublin) will be receiving the award, and it will be presented to three of its CEOs, Gavin Herbert, David Pyott, and Brent Saunders. T his year, the Ophthalmol- ogy Innovation Summit (OIS) is back prior to the American Academy of Oph- thalmology (AAO) annual meeting in Chicago. OIS will take place on Thursday, October 13. As in past years, the program will feature a variety of compa- ny presentations on new devices, products, and techniques, as well as market and industry updates, and other discussions from company representatives in the ophthalmolo- gy sphere. This year, there will be three separate company showcases, with one focusing on the anterior segment, one on the posterior seg- ment, and one on public device and biopharma companies. There will be more than 30 companies presenting, said Gil Kliman, MD, Menlo Park, California, one of the chairs of the meeting. "[At] the AAO meeting, we try to cover the whole range from the front of the eye to the back of the eye," Dr. Kliman said. As a result, OIS will feature a broad range of topics. Though it has been debated AAO program preview • October 15–18, 2016 OIS back for full day of programming prior to AAO October 2016

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