Innovation, interaction and a little hygge. This year’s ESCRS has it all.
If you’ve ever been to a congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS), you already know: it’s not your average medical meeting. It’s where ideas spark, partnerships form and clinical practice takes its next leap forward. But this year, things are set to feel a little different. That’s because Copenhagen is hosting, and in Denmark, even a scientific congress can have a little hygge.
For the uninitiated, hygge (say it with me: hoo-gah) is that uniquely Danish word describing a blend of warmth, connection and cozy contentment. Imagine the buzz of 15,000 delegates from every corner of the globe—except instead of feeling overwhelming, it’s more like gathering in the world’s largest, friendliest living room (with state-of-the-art AV and CME credits, of course). That’s the vibe ESCRS is aiming for this year: serious science, wrapped in a human touch.
So whether you’ll be soaking it in live at the Bella Center in Copenhagen or streaming highlights later on-demand, here’s your preview of what’s in store. Spoiler: it’s a lot.
Focused Friday: Where innovation meets hygge
Day 1, September 12, is not the warm-up act. It’s a full-force, eyes-forward day designed to spotlight what’s next for cataract and refractive surgery.
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First up, the fourth annual ESCRS iNovation® Day (08:30–16:00). If you’ve never attended, think of it as a mashup between Shark Tank, TED Talks and your favorite surgical symposium. Unlike other “innovation” meetings that skew industry-heavy, here more than half the attendees are doctors, ensuring discussions stay grounded in real clinical need.
This year’s agenda is especially forward-looking, with sessions on artificial intelligence (how it will change everyday practice, not just hypotheticals), the latest urgent clinical needs in anterior segment care, and even a spotlight on medical retina, acknowledging that two-thirds of ESCRS delegates are now performing intravitreal injections.
Expect live polling, interactive chats, the crowd-favorite Innovator Den, and a high-wattage panel of leaders from anterior segment associations.
Of course, iNovation isn’t the only ticket Friday. Also on the agenda:
- Cornea Day, co-organized with the European Society for Cornea & Ocular Surface Specialists (EuCornea)
- Glaucoma Day, co-organized with the European Glaucoma Society (EGS)
- WSPOS Day, organized by the World Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
- Global Refractive Summit, a powerhouse collaboration with ISRS and BRASCRS
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And when the clock strikes noon, the industry exhibition opens its doors—your chance to explore the latest tools, tech and toys.
Special Saturday: Ceremony, spectacle and surgical pearls
If Friday is all about innovation, Saturday brings the pomp and circumstance.
The Opening Ceremony kicks off in a new format this year—details are still under wraps, but if past ESCRS ceremonies are any guide, expect something equal parts inspiring and entertaining.
The scientific centerpiece? The Binkhorst Medal Lecture. This year’s honoree, Prof. Thomas Kohnen (Germany), will deliver The Short-Sighted World, bringing his decades of expertise in cataract, IOLs and refractive surgery to the big stage. If you care about where our field is headed (and if you’re reading this, you probably do), you’ll want a front-row seat.
Then it’s on to the debut of the ESCRS Arena – Valhalla, a brand-new format designed to make learning lively. Think surgical pearls, fiery debates (is mix-and-match IOL design really the first approach?) and thematic forums, all under a Norse-inspired banner. It’s playful, yes, but the take-home knowledge is dead serious.
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Encouraging Sunday: Bootcamps, Debates and the World Café
Sunday’s lineup could fill its own conference.
Highlights include the BoSS Implicit Bias Workshop, a Leadership Bootcamp featuring Matt Jensen (with a résumé as long as your arm), and a second round of Arena sessions covering cataracts and complex cataract pearls.
But what may steal the show is The World Café. An interactive, small-group learning format designed to maximize peer-to-peer knowledge sharing. Instead of just listening to experts, you’ll sit down with them (and nine other colleagues) to dissect real clinical cases and brainstorm solutions. It’s collaborative, dynamic and a rare chance to go deep on presbyopia, cataract, refractive and corneal surgery in a format that’s more conversation than lecture.
Global@ Active Monday: Hot topics and global voices
By Monday, you might think the pace would taper off. You’d be wrong.
This is when the big symposia and collaborations roll out. Highlights include:
- Hot Topics Symposium: From femtolaser breakthroughs to “future-proofing” ophthalmology against demographic shifts.
- Global collaborations: ESCRS teaming up with AAO, ASCRS, EURETINA, Orbis and more.
- The Global Refractive Summit, with ESCRS, ISRS and BRASCRS delivering a world tour of efficacy, safety, complications and future innovations.
Meanwhile, the Arena will continue with sessions on anterior segment surgery, corneal DMEK and an AI-focused forum that will ask the uncomfortable (but necessary) questions about machine intelligence in refractive surgery decision-making.
Beyond the podium
Of course, no congress is just about the lecture halls. ESCRS has become known for its creative extras, and 2025 looks especially rich.
- 30 years of femtosecond lasers: A physical timeline exhibition tracing three decades of breakthroughs.
- Simulation Training Labs: Hands-on, first-come-first-served opportunities to hone cataract surgery skills using Haag-Streit and Alcon simulators.
- The ESONT Pub Quiz: Equal parts brain teaser and beer garden, this is where bragging rights are earned.
- 5K Charity Run/Walk: Lace up Saturday morning for a loop through Amager Fælled and support the ESCRS BoSS initiative.
- AI-powered peer networking: Forget awkward hallway introductions. This new platform matches delegates based on professional focus and interests, making “networking” actually work.
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CME credits and connection
For those keeping an eye on the fine print: yes, ESCRS 2025 will apply for European CME credits, with details to follow. And yes, whether you’re an early-career surgeon looking to sharpen your skills or a senior consultant aiming to expand your network, this Congress is designed to deliver value at every stage of your career.
Add in the chance to mingle with 15,000 peers from around the world, and you’ve got a professional experience that’s equal parts rigorous and rewarding.
ESCRS 2025 is more than a congress. It’s a gathering of minds, a marketplace of ideas and, this year, a chance to experience ophthalmology through a distinctly Danish lens of community and coziness.
So, pack your curiosity (and maybe your running shoes). Whether you’re joining in person or tuning in online, this year’s ESCRS promises to be a meeting where innovation feels just a little more human.
Editor’s Note: The 43rd Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS 2025) is being held from 12-16 September in Copenhagen, Denmark. This content is intended exclusively for healthcare professionals. It is not intended for the general public. Products or therapies discussed may not be registered or approved in all jurisdictions, including Singapore.