The global retina community convened for an exchange of science, innovation and clinical insight at FLORetina 2025–the International Congress on OCT and OCT Angiography (ICOOR), held from 4 to 7 December in Florence, Italy. The meeting featured in-depth discussions spanning age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), gene therapy, advanced imaging, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and remote monitoring.

The following overview highlights some of the interviews and session takeaways captured by the Eye Care Network, offering insight into key themes and advances presented at FLORetina 2025. View more FLORetina 2025 coverage online.

AMD

Antithrombotic use examined in wet AMD submacular haemorrhage

Sharon Fekrat, MD, from Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA, discussed the complexities of antithrombotic use in wet AMD, with emphasis on the need for individualised treatment and future guideline development.

A consideration surrounding this topic is the absence of a consensus protocol for antithrombotic use in this patient population. Although a higher risk of haemorrhage may result from antiplatelet or anti-coagulant, Fekrat’s research found that in eyes with submacular haemorrhage due to wet AMD, the use of oral anticoagulants resulted in significantly better long-term visual acuity outcomes than not using antithrombotics.

Neovascular AMD: Remote management and fibrosis prevention

Remote management of patients with neovascular AMD was highlighted by Anat Loewenstein, MD, the Sidney A. Fox Chair of Ophthalmology, Tel Aviv University, Israel, including the use of the Home OCT Monitoring Program (Notal Vision). The bottom line for remote management is that studies are showing that this technology facilitates enhanced patient care, decreases treatment burden and leverages AI for personalised management.

Loewenstein also discussed preventing fibrosis from developing in patients with neovascular AMD. A few treatments are in development and include nintedanib (CBT-001; Santen and Cloudbreak Pharma) that blocks epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition changes in retinal pigment epithelial cells; angiotension-2/VEGF-A blockers that prevent collagen remodelling and reduce fibronectin; and ISTH0036 (Isarna Therapeutics), an antisense therapy targeting TGF-β2.

PDS shows 6-month durability and up to 7-year efficacy in neovascular AMD

The Port Delivery System (PDS) with ranibizumab (Susvimo; Roche/Genentech) to treat AMD achieved sustained improvements in vision in 50% of patients out to 7 years after implantation of the device, noted Carl D. Regillo, MD, FACS, director of the Retina Service, Wills Eye Hospital, and professor of ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He highlighted results from the Portal extension trial, which showed that the PDS significantly improves vision in patients with AMD, underscoring its long-term efficacy and durability.

Gene therapy

Long-term follow-up in paediatric gene therapy

Siegfried G. Priglinger, MD, director and chair of the University Eye
Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany, discussed the challenges and insights in follow-up of paediatric gene therapy over the long-term, data integrity, safety and efficacy of gene therapy, ethical considerations and patient retention. He also is interested in how retinal imaging markers are correlated with functional improvement over a period of 5 to 10 years and the need for clearer biomarkers to predict which patients will have the longest benefits.

Imaging

Using multimodal imaging to rethink Terson syndrome

Priyanka Sanghi, BSc, MSc, MBBS, from the Medical Retina Service at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, described how fundus autofluorescence and optical coherence tomography may visualise long-term retinal footprints invisible to standard examinations.

ROP

New horizons in research and risk management for ROP

Mary Elizabeth Hartnett, MD, the Michael F. Marmor, MD Professor in Retinal Science and Diseases at Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA, discussed research in ROP and risk management. A promising research highlight discussed involves regulation of the vascular endothelial growth factor pathways to prevent ROP by ordering developmental angiogenesis. This approach may involve the use of short-acting small agents that are delivered earlier.

AI at the forefront of ROP care

AI is playing a big role in ROP care, noted J. Peter Campbell, MD, MPH, the Edwin and Josephine Knowles Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology and professor, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon, USA. He discussed the pros and cons of specific AI models, implementing AI in low-resource settings and addressing concerns about bias and generalisability in AI-driven diagnostics.

EU-ROP Registry bridges borders for real-world insight

Andreas Stahl, Dr Med, the chair and head of the Department of Ophthalmology at Greifswald University Hospital, Greifswald, Germany, described the EU-ROP registry, an initiative that covers Europe and includes 60 centres in 16 countries. The registry, he noted, provides a look at variations in ROP presentation, treatment strategies and outcomes across diverse health care systems.