New Delhi [India], May 8 (ANI): The Department of Ophthalmology at Army Hospital (Research & Referral), New Delhi, in collaboration with All-India Ophthalmological Society, is set to host India's first International Ophthalmology Research Conference at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantonment, from May 9 to 10, Defence Ministry said.

This two-day academic event, named All-India Ophthalmological Society - Armed Forces Ophthalmology Update (AIOS-AFOU 2026), will be inaugurated by Union Minister of State (MoS) Defence Sanjay Seth, according to a release from the Ministry of Defence.

The Chief of Defence Staff, the three Service Chiefs and the Defence Secretary will be in attendance, underscoring the national importance & Tri-service character of the event.

The event will bring together nearly 200 renowned ophthalmologists from across the country alongside the finest military eye specialists. It will cover the subject of ophthalmology comprehensively, encompassing the latest advances across all major subspecialties. More than 100 distinguished faculty drawn from AIIMS, New Delhi; PGI, Chandigarh; LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad; and Sankara Netralaya, Chennai; Aravind Eye Care System among other institutes will attend the conference, the release stated.

Two internationally acclaimed ophthalmologists - Chair & Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Nottingham, UK Prof Harminder Singh Dua and Senior Consultant Ophthalmologist & Clinician Researcher at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore Colin Siang Hui Tan - will also take part in the event. Harminder Singh Dua is renowned worldwide for his pioneering research in chemical ocular injuries and his landmark discovery of the Dua's Layer, a paradigm-shifting contribution to corneal anatomy. Colin Siang Hui Tan heads the Fundus Image Reading Centre at the National Healthcare Group Eye Institute, and is renowned for his expertise in retinal imaging, diabetic retinopathy, and AI-driven ophthalmic diagnostics, the release stated.

The conference would serve as an inspiring platform for young serving ophthalmologists from across the country to showcase their skills and simultaneously learn from the experts of the craft. It aims to foster meaningful civil-military cooperation in ophthalmology. (ANI)