At this point, the overwhelming majority of physicians in the United States have been vaccinated against COVID-19, with most of us having 2—and for some, 3—doses of the mRNA vaccines that appear to be very effective against even the newer variants of the virus (as of the writing of this article). But, when will we physicians feel comfortable returning to traveling for meetings? I write this having just returned from the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) meeting, and with the annual American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting a few short weeks away.

Many people are concerned, because both meetings draw a substantial cohort of people from around the world, where different vaccines are available (and in limited quantities). Prior to ASRS, there was significantly less buzz about attending the meeting, in part because of the location being outside of a major city, and partly because of COVID-19 fears.

Prior to ASRS, there was a smaller entrepreneurship meeting called OIS (Ophthalmology Innovation Summit). Historically, this was a great networking meeting with a lot of buzz, people having side conversations, and a few companies presenting in hopes of attracting funding or partnerships. This year, there was very little side conversation—and even less mask-wearing. I was personally shocked that almost no one was wearing a mask. I am triple-dosed with an mRNA vaccine, and I got my flu shot a week before I got on the plane. Still, I was nervous. There was no checking of vaccination status at this meeting either.

ASRS, on the other hand, seemed to take COVID-19 more seriously. Vaccination was required and proof, using an app, was very easy. There were color-coded stickers that attendees could put on their name badges to alert others of their social distance request. Most people wore a mask most of the time when in the lecture hall, but definitely not at the lobby bar or restaurants.

At my practice at the University of California, Irvine, there is no way I would get away with this level of laxity in my clinics. ASRS was a much smaller meeting than it normally is, with fewer international attendees. I had fun, I learned about new therapies, and it was nice to hug my friends again. However, that comfort was yanked away when we received an email from the ASRS that an attendee had tested positive for COVID-19.

I’m confident that, at some point, the world will return back to normal, and I look forward to how open and collegial ophthalmology and retina is worldwide. Going to meetings in person is one of my favorite things to do. It’s one thing to discuss cases over social media, but nothing can replace sitting down next to someone, sharing a meal or beverage, and talking about nonsense with some medicine mixed in.

With that in mind, the executive committee of the American Retina Forum is working with the Puerto Rico Society of Ophthalmology to have our largest live meeting ever, from June 29 to July 3, 2022 at the Wyndham Rio Mar in Puerto Rico. This will be a fun meeting where we do not take ourselves too seriously, but will get down to the details of how we take care of our patients. This is a collaborative meeting that has no suits or podiums, just an open discussion with short presentations to stimulate conversation.

We hope you join us. For more details, visit www.retinaforum.org . NRP

MITUL MEHTA, MD, MS, is a clinical associate professor of ophthalmology in the retina division and is the fellowship director of vitreoretinal surgery at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute of the University of California, Irvine.