This year’s AUSCRS will mark the end of an era and the beginning of a history-making new partnership.
When the Australasian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (AUSCRS) gathers on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast from 15-18 July 2026, the occasion will mark much more than the society’s annual scientific meeting.
It will represent a moment of transition – historic, emotional and deeply significant for the people who have shaped the culture of AUSCRS for three decades.
For the first time in its 30-year history, the society will be led into its flagship event by two women at the helm: president Dr Jacqueline Beltz, staff specialist on the Corneal and Cataract Units at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, and recently appointed vice-president Dr Andrea Ang, director of Lions Laser Vision and the Cornea Unit at Lions Eye Institute.
At the same time, the meeting will be the final curtain call for a figure synonymous with the DNA of the organisation: outgoing executive officer and conference organiser Jenny Boden, who has stewarded every AUSCRS meeting since the very first.
Dr Beltz says the combination of these milestones has created a sense of both reflection and renewal.
“With Andrea stepping into the vice president role and Gerard [Sutton] transitioning from co-president to immediate past-president, there is definitely a slightly different dynamic this year – and a very exciting one,” she says.
“For the first time, both the president and vice president roles are held by women, which is something quite special for AUSCRS, and we’re excited to be part of that.”
Yet even with leadership changes, Dr Beltz emphasises that the essence of AUSCRS remains anchored in the culture built by its founders, Professor Graham Barrett and Dr Rick Wolfe.
“One of the strengths of AUSCRS is that while leadership might change over time, the core culture of the meeting remains consistent,” she says. “There’s still the same focus on high-quality science, open discussion, innovation and collegiality, along with the creativity and sense of fun AUSCRS has become known for.”
She says the most emotional aspect of this year’s event will be the farewell to Boden, whose influence on AUSCRS is difficult to overstate.
Beltz describes Boden’s departure as “the end of an era”, noting that her contribution has shaped every facet of what delegates now consider quintessentially AUSCRS.
“Jenny has organised every single AUSCRS meeting,” she says. “She has contributed so much, devoting a large portion of her working life to making sure this event runs smoothly and continues to grow,” she says.
“This year we want to celebrate Jenny, her husband Rob and her whole team.”
Dr Beltz adds that the milestone coincides with the society’s 30th anniversary, giving extra poignancy to the moment.
“Personally, this year’s meeting for me is about celebrating two major milestones – we’re celebrating 30 years of AUSCRS, and we’re celebrating Jenny’s last year. There’s definitely going to be a lot of old photos, a lot of hugging and a lot of tears.”
For Boden, the reflections run deep. After three decades building the conference from the ground up, she says it is the people – delegates, faculty, industry – and the long-standing sense of community that she treasures most.
Over the years she has watched AUSCRS grow from a small, ambitious gathering into one of the region’s most distinctive and respected ophthalmic meetings.
“I am especially proud that AUSCRS has always stood out because of its culture of open discussion, accessibility to international experts and willingness to do things a little differently,” she says.
“Alongside high-quality science, the meeting has always embraced creativity, themes, costumes and a little craziness – all of which have become part of the unique AUSCRS identity and something the meeting is now internationally recognised for.”
Many of the sponsors, speakers and delegates have returned year after year and have become life-long friends.
That included Prof Barrett and Dr Wolfe, with whom she worked to develop the signature AUSCRS combination of science and sometimes silly costumes.
“The combination of world-class education, genuine collegiality and, occasionally, a little madness has created something truly unique,” she says.
Shaping the 2026 program
This year’s meeting has been crafted jointly by Drs Beltz and Ang, the AUSCRS scientific committee and Boden – producing a program that reflects both continuity and evolution.
In developing it, Dr Beltz says AUSCRS received a record number of abstracts, which made the selection process both exciting and challenging.
“We had a lot of good ones to choose from, but we just don’t have enough time to hear them all. The final program is amazing.”
Dr Ang’s input into the scientific curation marks her first major contribution in the vice-presidential role, and Dr Beltz says the collaboration has been seamless.
Every year AUSCRS delivers a distinctive, often playful theme that threads through the scientific and social programs. This year’s inspiration – The Sound of Music – has allowed the organising team to weave creativity into session titles, costumes and onsite experiences without compromising scientific depth.
“We felt the theme provided a fun and creative way to bring energy, humour and personality into the program while still maintaining a very strong scientific focus,” Dr Beltz says.
She adds that the combination of world-class content and an atmosphere that doesn’t take itself too seriously is central to what sets the event apart.
“I think that combination is very much what AUSCRS is all about.”
This year, the signature short-talk/long-discussion format remains firmly in place, with an emphasis on peer-to-peer learning – something Beltz describes as one of her favourite elements of the conference.
The Sunshine Coast setting also brings new opportunities for social events built around the Sound of Music theme, alongside a number of first-time speakers, technology demonstrations and a strengthened international presence.
Both Drs Beltz and Ang have highlighted the breadth of this year’s content – from advanced IOL technologies to refractive innovations, surgical techniques and real-world case debates – as a reflection of both the diversity and maturity of the field.
Speakers to watch
The 2026 faculty includes many of the field’s leading cataract and refractive surgeons.
This year’s Barrett/Wolfe Lecture is presented by Dr Cathleen McCabe, from the US, a globally recognised in leader in complex and premium cataract and refractive surgery.
Dr McCabe will be part of a strong US speaking contingent, says Dr Ang.
Another international speaker she is keen to catch up with is Professor Damien Gatinel, from France.
““He’s going to give us a surprise I think,” she says. “He’s going to give us a Vegemite version number two. His Vegemite version number one talk on the Pearl-DGS IOL formula last time was pretty funny. Everyone really enjoyed that.”
She is predicting a strong series of educational sessions, with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and its use in ophthalmology, but also sessions covering the next generation of presbyopia-correcting lenses.
Beyond that she is looking forward to sessions that go beyond surgical skills, covering “how to manage ourselves as a surgeon, managing our stress – what defines us as a good surgeon”.
Full speaker and session details are available via AUSCRS 2026 Speaker List, and the roster includes a mix of returning favourites and new faces contributing to lectures, panel discussions, rapid-fire sessions and debates.
While AUSCRS 2026 marks the end of Boden’s remarkable three-decade tenure, it also signals the beginning of a new chapter under Drs Beltz and Ang’s leadership – a chapter defined by continuity, creativity and a strengthened commitment to collegial, open scientific exchange.
For Dr Beltz, the emotions surrounding this year’s meeting are already palpable.
That’s why she has one more simple request of those attending the event.
“Bring tissues.”
