Heidelberg Eye Symposium Spotlights AI AMD and Space Tech

The 21st International SPECTRALIS Symposium (ISS), presented by Heidelberg Engineering, is set to take place from June 13–14, 2025, in its historic namesake city of Heidelberg, Germany. This year marks a special occasion as the event will be hosted for the first time in the newly inaugurated Heidelberg Congress Center.

A scenic river cruise on the Neckar will give attendees a unique vantage point of Heidelberg’s historic landmarks. (Image credit: AdobeStock/upnowgraphics)

ISS 2025 A Confluence of Science and Scenery

Attendees can look forward to a unique blend of scientific exploration and cultural immersion. At the conclusion of the first day's scientific sessions, participants will have the chance to embark on a memorable river cruise along the Neckar. This experience offers picturesque views of Heidelberg's historic landmarks. Guests can opt for the Queen Silvia, which includes a seated dinner cruise, or choose a second vessel that will provide food, drinks, and live music.

Program Leadership and Key Contributions

Professor Frank Holz, MD, FEBO, FARVO, will serve as the course director for the symposium. Prof. Holz is the esteemed professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Bonn, Germany. Throughout the ISS, he will co-chair two sessions and deliver a lecture presenting findings from the MACUSTAR study, focusing on imaging-based progression markers in intermediate Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

Deep Dive into Fridays Scientific Sessions

Welcome address from course director Professor Frank G. Holz at 9:45 AM

Oculomics

Chaired by: SriniVas R. Sadda, MD, FARVO, and Giovanni Staurenghi, MD, FARVO, FEBO Time: 10:00 AM to 11:15 AM Lecture topics will cover mechanistic and biomarker discovery, leveraging multimodal retinal imaging for systemic insights via the NICOLA study, and approaching neurodegeneration with a focus on corneal imaging, among other subjects.

High-resolution OCT

Chaired by: Balwantray Chauhan, PhD, and Leopold Schmetterer, MSc, PhD Time: 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM This session will address various challenges and opportunities in optical coherence tomography (OCT). Discussions will include high-resolution OCT of atrophic and precursor lesions in AMD, gaining new insights into diabetic maculopathy with high-resolution OCT, and initial reactions to a new high-resolution imaging platform.

New Technology

Chaired by: Prof Holz and Adnan Tufail, MBBS, MD, FRCOphth Time: 2:30 PM to 3:45 PM Topics in this session will feature holographic OCT for retinal function, in vivo functional imaging of singular retinal ganglion cells using two-photon imaging, and the application of fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) to study silent disease progression in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and MS, along with other emerging technologies.

AMD and GA

Chaired by: Karl Csaky, MD, PhD, and Robert P. Finger, MD, PhD Time: 4:15 PM to 5:30 PM This session will include multiple presentations utilizing MACUSTAR data to better understand retinal function and structure, and the use of OCT-determined anatomical features as clinical trial endpoints, among other AMD and Geographic Atrophy related topics.

NASA Keynote A Voyage into Space

From 5:45 PM to 6:30 PM on Friday, two distinguished team members from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will deliver an inspiring keynote address titled, “A journey into space: Völlig losgelöst!”

Warren “Woody” Hoburg began his journey as part of the NASA astronaut class of 2017. He holds a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT and a doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. Before his selection, he was an assistant professor at MIT. Astronaut Hoburg launched to the International Space Station as Pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission on March 2, 2023, and has accumulated 186 days in space on his first flight.

Tyson J. Brunstetter, MBA, OD, PhD, FAAO, FAsMA, serves as a US Navy aerospace optometrist at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. He earned his OD, MS, and PhD from The Ohio State University. Dr. Brunstetter is the clinical lead for NASA’s research into spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS), a condition frequently observed in astronauts, particularly during long-duration missions.

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Insights from Saturdays Scientific Discussions

Welcome note from course director Professor Frank G. Holz at 9:00 AM

Artificial intelligence

Chaired by: Roberto Gallego Pinazo, MD, PhD, and Seung-Young Yu, MD, PhD Time: 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM Presentations in the AI session will explore the use of AI in FLIO, including findings from the AI-READI project. Other topics include AI-based evaluation of dry AMD biomarkers and fluid monitoring in neovascular AMD (nAMD) and Geographic Atrophy (GA).

Retina

Chaired by: Anat Loewenstein, MD, and Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth, MD Time: 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM This session will cover practical advice for avoiding misdiagnosis when encountering hyperreflective vitreous opacities in children, the role of OCT and OCT-A in patients with sickle cell retinopathy, and OCT-based outcome measures in pediatric gene therapy, among other retinal topics.

Distributed care

Chaired by: Prof Holz and James Talks, MA, MB Bchir, MRCP, FRCOphth Time: 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM The final session will delve into topics such as remote patient monitoring, the enduring relevance of multimodal imaging, extreme telemedicine during long-duration space travel, and strategies for closing the “gaps” between hospitals and communities with retinal imaging.

Stay Informed and Register

For more comprehensive information about the ISS, including details on digital poster presentations, tours of the SkyLabs tower, and registration, please visit the ISS website here.

References

1. International SPECTRALIS Symposium June 13-14 in Heidelberg. Heidelberg Engineering Academy. Accessed June 9, 2025. https://academy.heidelbergengineering.com/course/view.php?id=1246&utm_source=imaginepro.ai
2. International SPECTRALIS Symposium and Beyond: Our Best Program. Heidelberg Engineering Academy. Accessed June 9, 2025. https://www.academy.heidelbergengineering.com/hedata/e-learning/Totara/Dateien/ScientificProgram_ISS2025_Heidelberg.pdf&utm_source=imaginepro.ai
3. Warren Hoburg, NASA Astronaut. NASA. Accessed June 9, 2025. https://www.nasa.gov/people/warren-hoburg/?utm_source=imaginepro.ai
4. Bio: Tyson J. Brunstetter. United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. Published March 2022. Accessed June 9, 2025. https://www.umdf.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2022MitoMedBrunstetterBio.pdf?utm_source=imaginepro.ai