The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Ophthalmology Conferences Open Access

The COVID-19 pandemic uniquely disrupted all aspects of daily life, particularly within healthcare, necessitating novel adaptations such as virtual and telehealth platforms [1]. In this context, online platforms became increasingly important to maintain educational and professional continuity [2]. Ophthalmology conferences, integral to education and collaboration, were either canceled or transitioned to virtual formats during the pandemic. These conferences play a vital role in fostering collaboration, research dissemination, and professional development for trainees and practitioners alike [3]. Recent studies have also highlighted the use of teleophthalmology and ancillary diagnostic technologies such as optical coherence tomography during the pandemic to maintain care standards [4]. However, the impact of these transitions on conference attendance and educational value remains uncertain. This study aimed to characterize the changes in attendance and research productivity associated with the integration of virtual platforms into conference meetings before, during, and after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This cross-sectional study analyzed data from five US-based ophthalmology conference organizations, encompassing a total of 15 conference meetings held between 2019 and 2021. To maintain confidentiality, the conferences have been anonymized in this study and have each been assigned a letter (A–E). Conferences represented diverse subspecialties: glaucoma, cataract/anterior segment, oculofacial plastics, neuro-ophthalmology, and women’s ophthalmology.

Conferences were included if they provided data on attendance and research submissions for three consecutive years (2019–2021) and successfully transitioned to a virtual or hybrid format at some point during or after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this study, the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic is defined as the period of time around March of 2020, the period during which national lockdowns were implemented across the USA [5]. Conferences canceled during the study period or unable to provide complete data were excluded.

Data were obtained directly from conference organizers and included total attendance, trainee participation, and research submissions (submission and acceptance rates). The data were aggregated records provided by each organization. There was no independent assessor or randomization performed, and interrater reliability statistics were not applicable. To encompass broader forms of research dissemination, the term research submissions was used instead of abstracts. Institutional Review Board exemption was obtained for this study. The data used in this study were obtained directly from the individual conference organizations included in the analysis. Access to the data may be subject to restrictions by the respective organizations, and each respective conference organization must be contacted separately to obtain their data. Institutional Review Board exemption was obtained. For privacy purposes, the names of the conference organizations have been anonymized. These data are not publicly available online.

Fifteen conference meetings were analyzed: seven in-person, five virtual, and three hybrid events (Table 1). Overall, conferences integrating a virtual component experienced a 7% increase in total attendance. Trainee attendance rose by 28%. A graphical representation of total conference attendees throughout 2019 to 2021 is provided in Figure 1. Research submissions cumulatively increased by 31%, while research acceptances varied: an increase of 6.3% in 2020 followed by a decline in 2021.

Specific trends among conferences were observed: Conference A experienced a 15% increase in total attendance and a 118% rise in trainee participation when transitioning to a fully virtual format in 2021, despite decreases in research submissions and acceptances. Conference B demonstrated a 35% decline in total attendance during its fully virtual year in 2020, yet showed a 21% increase in trainee participation. Conference C observed declines in attendance during its virtual year, followed by partial recovery with a hybrid format. Conference D recorded a dramatic 108% increase in total attendance and a 130% rise in trainee participation with a fully virtual format in 2021. Conference E demonstrated consistent growth, including a 60% increase in research acceptances and a notable rise in attendance when transitioning to a hybrid model in 2021.

This study highlights how virtual platforms influenced accessibility and participation at ophthalmology conferences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Total attendance increased by 7%, and trainee participation rose by 28%. Research submissions increased cumulatively by 31%. These findings suggest that virtual formats improved accessibility for trainees and may facilitate broader research dissemination. However, variability in research acceptance and attendance trends underscores that virtual models may not benefit all conferences equally. Our findings support the integration of virtual components into conference planning to promote accessibility, inclusivity, and continuous medical education, especially for trainees and international participants.

Limitations include limited parameters assessed, variability in baseline conference sizes, and lack of comparison to conferences in other medical fields. Future studies should explore specific barriers to attendance and the efficacy of hybrid versus in-person models. Future virtual conference models may benefit from similar principles: accessibility, quality, and inclusivity.

The inclusion of virtual components in ophthalmology conferences during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with increased attendance and research submissions. While research acceptances showed variability, specific conferences demonstrated notable gains. Further research is needed to fully understand the factors driving these trends, especially the rise in trainee participation, and may include international conferences for study. Adopting hybrid models moving forward may maximize educational opportunities while preserving the unique benefits of in-person interactions, ultimately supporting ophthalmologists’ continuous education and professional development worldwide.

This study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board at the City University School of Medicine, approval no Protocol #2021-0038. This study did not involve direct interaction with human participants, as the data analyzed were aggregated and anonymized conference attendance and research submission records provided by the respective conference organizations. Written informed consent was not required as determined by the Institutional Review Board at the City University School of Medicine, which granted an exemption for this study (Protocol #2021-0038). This research was conducted ethically in accordance with the principles outlined in the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki.

Aleksandra V. Rachitskaya, MD – consulting: Alcon, Genentech, Apellis, Iveric Bio, Zeiss; speaking: Apellis, Genentech, and Regeneron; research: AGTC, Apellis, Genentech, and NGM Bio. The other authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

This research was conducted without the support of any external funding. No sponsors were involved in the study design, execution, data analysis, manuscript conception, planning, writing, or the decision to publish the findings.

All authors listed meet all conditions to qualify for authorship as listed by the ICMJE. Gabriella Schmuter, MD, and Andrea A. Tooley, MD: conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, validation, and writing. Natasha Nayak Kolomeyer, MD: data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, validation, and writing. Lisa M. Nijm, MD, JD; Jeremiah Tao, MD; Prem S. Subramanian, MD, PhD; Zaina Al-Mohtaseb, MD; Terry Kim, MD; Aleksandra V. Rachitskaya, MD; and Janice C. Law, MD: data curation, investigation, validation, and writing – review and editing.

Previous presentations: An earlier version of this study was presented as a poster at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting in May 2022 in Denver, CO. This project was presented at the Women in Ophthalmology Summer Symposium in August 2023 in Marco Island, FL.

The data used in this study were obtained directly from the individual conference organizations included in the analysis. Access to the data may be subject to restrictions by the respective organizations, and each respective conference organization must be contacted separately to obtain their data. For privacy purposes, the names of the conference organizations have been anonymized. These data are not publicly available online to maintain confidentiality and privacy of each organization. However, the data may be available upon reasonable request. Requests can be directed to the corresponding author at [email protected].