Uveitis Aotearoa 2026
Location
Auditorium, Clinical Education Centre, Level 5, Auckland City Hospital
About
Fundamentals and Collaborative Care in Ocular Inflammatory Disease
Meeting objectives:
• Provide a practical, up-to-date framework for the diagnosis and management of uveitis
• Strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration between ophthalmologists, rheumatologists, infectious diseases, oncology, and allied specialties involved in uveitis care.
• Promote interactive, case-based learning and professional networking to support shared clinical decision-making and the development of a sustainable regional uveitis community.
DAY 1
Fundamentals of Ocular Inflammatory Disease
________________________________________
8:30 – 8:35: Welcome and Conference Overview
8:35 – 8:55: Approach to Patients with Uveitis: Dr Jo Sims
8:55- 9:15: Infectious Anterior Uveitis: HSV, VZV, CMV and Beyond: A/Prof Rachael Niederer
9:15- 9:35: Infectious Posterior Uveitis: Dr Leo Sheck
9:35-10:00: Interactive case presentations/audience polling
________________________________________
10.00-10:30: Morning tea
10:30-10:50: Scleritis and Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis: A/Prof Rachael Niederer
10:50- 11:10 : Non-Infectious Posterior Uveitis: Dr Haya Al-Ani
1110- 11:30: Masquerade Syndromes and Intraocular Lymphoma: Dr Narme Deva
1130-1200: Interactive Cases//audience polling
________________________________________
1200-1215: Roche presentation
________________________________________
1215-1315: Lunch
________________________________________
1315-1335: Use of Imaging in uveitis: Dr Leo Sheck
1335-1355: Autoimmune or Genetic? A/Prof Andrea Vincent
1355 -1415: Optic nerve swelling in uveitis: Dr Jo Sims and Dame Prof Helen Danesh Meyer
1415- 1435: Uveitic glaucoma: Dr Sonya Bennett
________________________________________
1435 -1455: afternoon tea
________________________________________
1455-1510 Approach to the uveitic cataract : A/Prof Rachael Niederer
1510-1530: Inflammatory macular oedema: Dr Genevieve Oliver
1530-1600 : Case-Based Discussion: Complications and Challenging Scenarios
Panel: A/Prof Rachael Niederer (chair), Dr Genevieve Oliver, Dr Sonya Bennett, Dr Benson Chen, Dr Narme Deva
1600: End of day 1
DAY 2
Collaborative Care in Uveitis
________________________________________
8:00 – 8:30: Arrival Coffee
________________________________________
8:30 – 8: 35 Welcome (Dr Jo Sims, Dr Narme Deva)
8:35 – 10:15: Oncology, Immune Therapies, and Uveitis
8:35 – 8:50: Update on CNS lymphoma management: Dr Samar Issa
8:50- 9:10: Clinical features of Ocular lymphoma: Dr Yael Yohai Patael
9:10- 9: 30: Ocular lymphoma: Maximising yield from biopsy
• Surgeon’s perspective: Dr Riyaz Bhikoo
• Pathologist’s pearls: Dr Amanda Charlton
9.30 – 9.45 : New era of cancer therapy, and managing complications from cancer immunotherapy: Dr Gareth Rivalland
9.45 -10.00: Uveitis in the Era of Cancer Immunotherapy : Dr Narme Deva
10.00-10.30 : Case-Based Panel Discussion.
___________________________
10.30-11.00- Morning tea
________________________________________
________________________________________
11:00 – 12:30 : Paediatric Uveitis: Early Disease, Long-Term Consequences
11:00 -11:20 JIA- related Uveitis: Key Phenotypes and Screening: Dr Justin Mora
11:20-1140: Other childhood uveitis: Rachael Niederer
11:40- 12:00 Immunosuppression and Biologic Therapy in Children: Dr Jackie Yan
12:00 – 12:30: Case-Based Panel Discussion – A/Prof Rachael Niederer, Dr Justin Mora, Dr Jackie Yan, A/Prof Andrea Vincent, Dr Ann Marie Yardley, Annabelle Thompson (CNS)
________________________________________
12:30 – 1330: Lunch
________________________________________
1330 – 14:45 : TB and Uveitis: Diagnosis, Risk, and Uncertainty
13:45 – 14:00: Ocular Tuberculosis in New Zealand: Dr Haya Al-Ani
1400 – 1415: Interpreting TB and Infection Testing in Uveitis: Dr Veronica Playle
1415 – 1445: Case-Based Panel Discussion – Dr Jo Sims (chair), Dr Mitzi Nisbet, Dr Karen Lindsay, Dr Haya Al-Ani, Dr Veronica Playle
________________________________________
14:45 – 15:15: Afternoon Tea
________________________________________
15:15 – 16:45 : Vasculitis, Autoinflammatory Disease, and Systemic Inflammation Speakers:
15:15- 1530: Ocular manifestations of systemic vasculitis: Dr Rachael Niederer
1530– 1545: Rheumatology approach to systemic vasculitis: Dr Ravi Suppiah
1545- 16:00: New entities: tattoo uveitis, VEXAS, IgG 4 disease and others: Dr Anthea Anantharajah
16:00- 1615: Management of uveitis and autoimmune disease during pregnancy: Dr Ian Kando
1615- 1630: Avoiding pitfalls: what rheumatologists wish ophthalmologists knew before referring their patients! (Dr Karen Lindsay)
1630- 1650: Case based panel discussion Dr Narme Deva (chair), Dr Karen Lindsay (chair), A/Prof Rachael Niederer, Dr Anthea Anantharajah, Dr Yael Yohai Patel, Dr Jo Sims
1650-1700: Ideas for improving collaboration and support for uveitis management within NZ: Dr Jo Sims, Dr Anthea Anantharajah, Dr Karen Lindsay
________________________________________
5:00 PM
Conference Close
Meeting objectives:
• Provide a practical, up-to-date framework for the diagnosis and management of uveitis
• Strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration between ophthalmologists, rheumatologists, infectious diseases, oncology, and allied specialties involved in uveitis care.
• Promote interactive, case-based learning and professional networking to support shared clinical decision-making and the development of a sustainable regional uveitis community.
DAY 1
Fundamentals of Ocular Inflammatory Disease
________________________________________
8:30 – 8:35: Welcome and Conference Overview
8:35 – 8:55: Approach to Patients with Uveitis: Dr Jo Sims
8:55- 9:15: Infectious Anterior Uveitis: HSV, VZV, CMV and Beyond: A/Prof Rachael Niederer
9:15- 9:35: Infectious Posterior Uveitis: Dr Leo Sheck
9:35-10:00: Interactive case presentations/audience polling
________________________________________
10.00-10:30: Morning tea
10:30-10:50: Scleritis and Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis: A/Prof Rachael Niederer
10:50- 11:10 : Non-Infectious Posterior Uveitis: Dr Haya Al-Ani
1110- 11:30: Masquerade Syndromes and Intraocular Lymphoma: Dr Narme Deva
1130-1200: Interactive Cases//audience polling
________________________________________
1200-1215: Roche presentation
________________________________________
1215-1315: Lunch
________________________________________
1315-1335: Use of Imaging in uveitis: Dr Leo Sheck
1335-1355: Autoimmune or Genetic? A/Prof Andrea Vincent
1355 -1415: Optic nerve swelling in uveitis: Dr Jo Sims and Dame Prof Helen Danesh Meyer
1415- 1435: Uveitic glaucoma: Dr Sonya Bennett
________________________________________
1435 -1455: afternoon tea
________________________________________
1455-1510 Approach to the uveitic cataract : A/Prof Rachael Niederer
1510-1530: Inflammatory macular oedema: Dr Genevieve Oliver
1530-1600 : Case-Based Discussion: Complications and Challenging Scenarios
Panel: A/Prof Rachael Niederer (chair), Dr Genevieve Oliver, Dr Sonya Bennett, Dr Benson Chen, Dr Narme Deva
1600: End of day 1
DAY 2
Collaborative Care in Uveitis
________________________________________
8:00 – 8:30: Arrival Coffee
________________________________________
8:30 – 8: 35 Welcome (Dr Jo Sims, Dr Narme Deva)
8:35 – 10:15: Oncology, Immune Therapies, and Uveitis
8:35 – 8:50: Update on CNS lymphoma management: Dr Samar Issa
8:50- 9:10: Clinical features of Ocular lymphoma: Dr Yael Yohai Patael
9:10- 9: 30: Ocular lymphoma: Maximising yield from biopsy
• Surgeon’s perspective: Dr Riyaz Bhikoo
• Pathologist’s pearls: Dr Amanda Charlton
9.30 – 9.45 : New era of cancer therapy, and managing complications from cancer immunotherapy: Dr Gareth Rivalland
9.45 -10.00: Uveitis in the Era of Cancer Immunotherapy : Dr Narme Deva
10.00-10.30 : Case-Based Panel Discussion.
___________________________
10.30-11.00- Morning tea
________________________________________
________________________________________
11:00 – 12:30 : Paediatric Uveitis: Early Disease, Long-Term Consequences
11:00 -11:20 JIA- related Uveitis: Key Phenotypes and Screening: Dr Justin Mora
11:20-1140: Other childhood uveitis: Rachael Niederer
11:40- 12:00 Immunosuppression and Biologic Therapy in Children: Dr Jackie Yan
12:00 – 12:30: Case-Based Panel Discussion – A/Prof Rachael Niederer, Dr Justin Mora, Dr Jackie Yan, A/Prof Andrea Vincent, Dr Ann Marie Yardley, Annabelle Thompson (CNS)
________________________________________
12:30 – 1330: Lunch
________________________________________
1330 – 14:45 : TB and Uveitis: Diagnosis, Risk, and Uncertainty
13:45 – 14:00: Ocular Tuberculosis in New Zealand: Dr Haya Al-Ani
1400 – 1415: Interpreting TB and Infection Testing in Uveitis: Dr Veronica Playle
1415 – 1445: Case-Based Panel Discussion – Dr Jo Sims (chair), Dr Mitzi Nisbet, Dr Karen Lindsay, Dr Haya Al-Ani, Dr Veronica Playle
________________________________________
14:45 – 15:15: Afternoon Tea
________________________________________
15:15 – 16:45 : Vasculitis, Autoinflammatory Disease, and Systemic Inflammation Speakers:
15:15- 1530: Ocular manifestations of systemic vasculitis: Dr Rachael Niederer
1530– 1545: Rheumatology approach to systemic vasculitis: Dr Ravi Suppiah
1545- 16:00: New entities: tattoo uveitis, VEXAS, IgG 4 disease and others: Dr Anthea Anantharajah
16:00- 1615: Management of uveitis and autoimmune disease during pregnancy: Dr Ian Kando
1615- 1630: Avoiding pitfalls: what rheumatologists wish ophthalmologists knew before referring their patients! (Dr Karen Lindsay)
1630- 1650: Case based panel discussion Dr Narme Deva (chair), Dr Karen Lindsay (chair), A/Prof Rachael Niederer, Dr Anthea Anantharajah, Dr Yael Yohai Patel, Dr Jo Sims
1650-1700: Ideas for improving collaboration and support for uveitis management within NZ: Dr Jo Sims, Dr Anthea Anantharajah, Dr Karen Lindsay
________________________________________
5:00 PM
Conference Close