Indocyanine Green Angiography (ICGA). Aids in examining choroidal blood flow and retinal circulation.

Ultra-widefield fluorescein angiography is helpful for identifying diabetic retinopathy, providing enhanced visualisation of the peripheral retina, which is fundamental for assessing non-perfused areas, vascular leakage, microvascular abnormalities, and neovascularisations. Indocyanine green angiography , an important imaging modality among many diagnostic imaging modalities used in retinochoroidal diseases, helps to study the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of choroidal and retinal circulation. It plays a critical role in the diagnosis of various ocular pathologies including wet AMD, PCV, CSCR, choroidal tumors and more.

www.zeiss.com/clarus700

Biogen will acquire Apellis Pharmaceuticals for approximately US$5.6 billion.

The acquisition is expected to enhance Biogen’s short- and long-term revenue growth profile by adding two commercialised differentiated immunology and rare disease medicines to its growth portfolio: Syfovre, for the treatment of in geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration, and Empaveli, for the treatment of rare immune- mediated kidney diseases.

Apellis brings an established US sales infrastructure and capabilities that Biogen believes will accelerate and strengthen Biogen’s commercial readiness for felzartamab, which is currently in Phase 3 studies for three kidney diseases with the first trial readout expected in the first half of 2027. Upon closing the deal, Biogen expects a significant proportion of Apellis employees to join the company.

Christopher Viehbacher, Biogen’s President and Chief Executive Officer said the “acquisition immediately advances Biogen’s ongoing transformation”.

“The addition of Apellis expands our growth portfolio in immunology and rare disease with two approved, best-in-class medicines that complement our existing portfolio and bolsters our near-and long-term growth potential.”

Artificial intelligence (AI) ophthalmology in waves, like most professions across Australia, not as a distant promise. The question is no longer whether AI will change the way ophthalmologists work, because it already has.

The question now is how practitioners navigate it, and how they ensure the irreplaceable human element of medicine remains at the centre of care.

Taking place on 6–7 June at the Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach, the Expo brings together Australia’s ophthalmology community for two days of hands-on skills training, peer learning, and expert discussion – all framed around the single most consequential shift in the profession’s modern history.

The pace of change has been striking. A recent survey found that ophthalmologists identified AI as by far the most transformative trend in the specialty, cited by 78% of respondents. technology is already reshaping how clinicians approach their most challenging diagnostic work in medicine.

In age-related macular degeneration, AI- driven models can analyse optical coherence tomography images alongside clinical data to predict how patients will respond to treatments such as anti-VEGF injections – identifying who is likely to benefit from specific therapies and who may require alternative strategies. In diabetic retinopathy, algorithms are approaching or matching expert performance and can be deployed at scale. In surgical planning, AI tools are refining intraocular lens calculations and analysing intraoperative data.

Workflow benefits are equally significant. AI tools that support medical workflows, such as ambient clinical scribes and automated documentation, are beginning to have a meaningful impact by reducing administrative burden and allowing ophthalmologists to focus more on patient care.

Despite the rapid advances, leading clinicians and researchers are consistent on one point: AI does not replace ophthalmologists. It extends them.

Across sessions at major international meetings in 2026, speakers have stressed that AI is not a replacement for physician judgement, but a tool to enhance precision, efficiency, and scalability. As one expert put it plainly, AI in retina care outputs probabilities, not diagnoses – and will not replace retinal expertise or clinical judgement. This distinction matters deeply. The ability to communicate a diagnosis, to read a patient’s fear, to weigh values alongside evidence, to make a nuanced decision in a complex case – these remain uniquely human capabilities.

Katrin

are open at asoeye.org/2026asoskillsexpo.

References available at mivision.com.au.