Dear Colleagues,

I extend a warm welcome to all of you for Uttara-EyeCon 2026, the 22nd Annual Conference of Uttarakhand State Ophthalmological Society, being held in the scenic Shivalik Hills at Hotel Ramada, Mussoorie, from October 23rd to 25th, 2026.

The theme for this year’s conference is Focus on the Future: Ophthalmology Today & Tomorrow. This year’s meeting brings together over 100 eminent faculty from across India and abroad, delivering high-quality academic sessions, landmark orations, and insightful talks. The scientific program is further enriched by an exuberant response of submissions — 50 free papers, 33 surgical videos, and 45 E-posters, all of high scientific content and academic standards. Many of these are from enthusiastic postgraduate colleagues, reflecting the vibrancy of our community. Furthermore, our photography competition, with 33 submissions, adds an artistic dimension to the event.

It is an immense honour and privilege for us to confer the UKSOS National Lifetime Achievement Award on Dr Taraprasad Das, Vice Chairman (Emeritus) of L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad. We are also honoured to feature two prestigious orations — the Dr. C.S. Grover Oration by Dr. Pramod M Bhende, Senior Consultant, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, and the Dr. Vinod Arora Oration by Dr. Chandrashekhar M Wavikar, Director, Wavikar Eye Institute, Thane.

This year’s conference marks a landmark Virtual Session beamed from across the globe — Ophthalmology Stars from the International Metaverse — where path-breaking developments in cataract surgery and retina will be showcased, including those by UKSOS International Senior Achievement Award recipient Prof. Sandeep Grover from Florida, USA. Additionally, four prestigious UKSOS International Gold Medal Lectures on cutting-edge research will be delivered by Dr. Rajiv Raman (Florida, USA), Dr. Milind Pande (East Yorkshire, UK), Dr. Bishwanath Pal (Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK), and Dr. Sanjay Srinivasan (SNEC, Singapore). This conference will also feature prestigious competitive awards — the Dr. M.C. Luthra Gold Medal, Dr. Satanshu Mathur Best Video Award, Dr. A.K. Mehrotra Best Poster Award, and the Dr. R.N. Singh Young Achiever Award. Additionally, the conference will include challenging Deferred Live Surgeries, the engaging Eyeconic Minds Ophthalmic Quiz, the 2 Minutes to Win Video Competition, and The Big Standoff Debate, promising a rich blend of learning and collaboration.

We remain grateful to our sponsors and to our colleagues — our energetic President Elect Dr Satanshu Mathur, our inspirational Organising Chairman Dr. B. K. Oli, our dynamic Organising Secretary Dr. Vishal Sharma, our encouraging Chairman Awards & Live Surgery Dr. Gaurav Luthra, and our resourceful Secretary Dr. Amit Singh, whose dedicated efforts helped shape the program. All these efforts would not have come to fruition were it not for the sincere hard work and professional support of our backbone — Team Numerotec led by Mr Sai and Mrs Manjula, Team Hallmark led by Mr Seshadri and Mrs Veidhehi, Team Grover Audiovisual, and the logistics support teams. I wish to express my sincere thanks to all our speakers, panelists, delegates, and participants. Your contributions make this conference a remarkable opportunity for learning and collaboration.

We look forward to welcoming you to Mussoorie for an exciting and enriching scientific experience.

Regards,
Dr Saurabh Luthra
Chairman Scientific Committee, UKSOS