About this event

  • Date and time Fri 24 Apr 2026 from 9:00am to 4:20pm
  • Location Royal Society of Medicine
  • Organised by Ophthalmology

The annual National Diabetic Eye Screening Conference 2026 will review new treatment and new imaging technology that will enhance care for patients with diabetic retinopathy. Over the past few years there has been a significant change in treatments and technology, not only in managing diabetes mellitus itself, but also in the understanding, investigation, and management of diabetic eye disease.

This day event will ensure that all attendees are up to date in their knowledge regarding innovation in the field and the impact that this has on understanding the assessments required during eye screening. The sessions will involve presentations and discussions with the aim of encouraging all to learn, participate, and contribute.

Why attend? 

  • Get a full update on the global context of diabetes mellitus and the UK Eye Screening Programme.
  • Hear from a group of expert physicians who will cover the topics of pump systems, GLP-1 agonists, their effect on control of blood glucose and potential consequence for the retina, the impact of managing hypertension and dyslipidaemia, and the management of diabetes during pregnancy.
  • Learn about the current understanding of the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy and effect of intraocular treatment on retinopathy- this is critical knowledge needed to understand the limitations and risks of current screening methods.
  • Understand the need for better ways to monitor retinopathy progression in the context of the most modern retinal imaging techniques to pave the way for better management of diabetic retinopathy. 

This meeting aims to: 

  • Provide a review of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy both in a global and national context. 
  • Teach about the new ways of control for diabetes with insulin pump systems, new injectable agents for type II diabetes and the effect on retinopathy. 
  • Educate delegates on how management of high blood pressure and high cholesterol affects diabetic retinopathy.
  • Enhance a deeper understanding of the biological processes involved in diabetic retinopathy. 
  • Teach delegates how anti-VEGF treatment changes the appearance of retinopathy. 
  • Enable a greater understanding of how new imaging techniques might be better than current imaging for monitoring retinopathy. 

Who can attend?

  • Retinal screeners.
  • Ophthalmologists with subspecialty expertise in medical retina and who are involved in the management of patients with diabetic retinopathy.

This event is extremely useful for delegates to gain up to date knowledge of retinopathy and to understand and drive new and improved methods for diabetic eye screening. 

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We would like to thank our Platinum Sponsor Topcon Healthcare and our sponsors Alimera Sciences, Bausch & Lomb, Bayer, Frost Optical, InHealth, Mainline Instruments, Optos and Sense Medical for their support of this meeting.
Please note that none of the companies listed have had any influence or involvement over the agenda, content or organisation of this meeting.

Key speakers

Kate Jordan

Kate Jordan

Head of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) and Diabetic Eye Screening (DES) Operations, Vaccination and Screening Directorate, NHS England  

Speaker's biography

Kate Jordan is Head of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) and Diabetic Eye Screening (DES) Operations at NHS England, where she leads national delivery and service optimisation for two critical population screening programmes. With a career spanning public health commissioning and national screening leadership, Kate brings deep expertise in operational transformation and stakeholder engagement.

In her current role, Kate has driven major enhancements to the NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme, including the implementation of extended screening intervals and the rollout of OCT (optical coherence tomography) within digital surveillance. These initiatives aim to reduce unnecessary hospital appointments and strengthen equity of access across regions.

Kate chairs national operational groups and collaborates with clinical, analytical, and provider teams to ensure data-driven decision-making and consistent practice. Her priorities for DES include supporting digital innovation and maintaining high-quality standards across the England programme.

A Chartered Manager and DiSC Practitioner, Kate combines strategic leadership with a commitment to continuous improvement. She regularly speaks on topics such as service redesign, operational resilience, and the future of screening programmes.

Agenda

View the programme 24 April 2026

Registration, tea and coffee
Introduction and welcome

Mr Nigel Davies

Session 1: Updates

UK update on national diabetic eye screening programme

Kate Jordan, Head of AAA and DESP eye screening, NHS England

The future of diabetic eye screening programme

Kim Lovell

The introduction of artificial intelligence tools into the screening programme

Robyn Fletcher

Q&A and panel discussion
Tea and coffee break

Session 2: Implications for retinopathy of new treatments for diabetes

Closed loop pump systems

Siobhan Pender

Type II diabetes and the GLP-1 agonists

Dr Samantha Mann

Notification to the Hospital Eye Service/DESP for Commencement of New Glucose Lowering Therapies - Referral Pathways

Dr Hinal Kumar 

Hypertension and dyslipidaemia

Professor Tony Wierzbicki

Diabetes and pregnancy

Dr Anna Brackenridge

Q&A and panel discussion
Lunch

Session 3: Treatment for retinopathy and implications for screening

Anti-VEGF treatment, retinopathy and retinal perfusion

Dr Nigel Davies

OCT and OCTA for maculopathy and widefield imaging

Mr Richard Bell, Senior Medical Photographer,
Newcastle, Royal Victoria Infirmary

Q&A and panel discussion
Tea and coffee break

Session 4: Treatment in advanced diabetic retinopathy

My personal experience of laser and vitrectomy

Speaker to be confirmed

When laser doesn’t work; the role of vitrectomy

Mr Alistair Laidlaw

Q&A and panel discussion
Closing remarks
Close of meeting

Sponsors

Topcon Healthcare 2024 Alimera 2026 Bausch + Lomb Bayer Frost Optical InHealth Mainline Instruments 2026 Optos logo Sense Medical and Canon

Location

Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole St, Marylebone, London, W1G 0AE, United Kingdom

Registration for this event will close at 1:00am on 23 April 2026. Late registrations will not be accepted.

The agenda is subject to change at any time

If the event is recorded, we are only able to share presentations that we have received permission to share. There is no guarantee that all sessions will be available after the event, this is at the presenter’s and RSM’s discretion.

All views expressed at this event are of the speakers themselves and not of the Royal Society of Medicine, nor the speaker's organisations.

This event will be recorded and stored by the Royal Society of Medicine and may be distributed in future on various internet channels.