Ophthalmologists to Perform 70 Surgeries in 4 Days During Live Broadcast

The 10th Live Surgery Symposium, organized by the Turkish Ophthalmological Society (TOD) in collaboration with Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, began in Ankara between 11–14 June 2026. Within the scope of the symposium, surgeries performed by ophthalmologists are being broadcast live to the conference hall and to physicians abroad via an online platform over four days.

The Turkish Ophthalmological Society, the sole professional organization representing ophthalmologists in Turkey, continues to organize education and scientific events at international standards to support professional development. Within the scope of the symposium, 70 different eye surgeries are planned to be performed, with operations projected onto a large screen in the meeting hall via high-resolution live broadcast and monitored in real time by participating physicians.

Turkish Ophthalmological Society hosts globally unique live surgery organization
Prof. Dr. Kıvanç Güngör, President of the Turkish Ophthalmological Society, stated that the event has a unique structure worldwide, making the following assessment:

"The TOD Live Surgery Symposium, which we are organizing for the 10th time this year, is being held between 11–14 June. This comprehensive live surgery organization, which includes different subspecialties and lasts four days, is an education model without parallel in the world in the field of eye diseases.

With the contributions of the units of glaucoma, cataract and refraction, cornea and ocular surface, oculofacial plastic surgery, pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus, and vitreoretinal surgery, operations performed in the operating theaters of the T.R. Ministry of Health Ankara Bilkent City Hospital are being broadcast live to the meeting hall at the JW Marriott Hotel and Congress Centre. At the same time, thousands of ophthalmologists from abroad are following the proceedings via an online platform.

For the first time this year, on the first day of the program, we are presenting a special flow in which three different units perform surgery simultaneously, providing participants with the opportunity to comparatively observe different surgical approaches."

More than 2,000 ophthalmologists following the event
Prof. Dr. Güngör, noting that the symposium is receiving significant international interest, shared the following information:

"During the symposium, we expect more than 2,000 ophthalmologists from Turkey and different countries around the world to follow the event both in person and online. Live operations performed by experienced surgeons provide participants with the opportunity to directly observe current techniques.

In concurrent sessions, case discussions are held and participants are encouraged to contribute actively. Additionally, industry-supported sessions and satellite symposiums comprehensively address current technologies and clinical applications."

Referring also to the symposium held last year, Güngör said, "At the event we held in Ankara, 70 surgeons performed live surgery over four days. The organization was followed by more than a thousand foreign physicians from 42 countries, with 250 healthcare workers on duty. The successful performance of very rare and advanced surgical cases concluded with our patients regaining their health."

"A scientific platform exemplified globally"
TOD President Güngör, emphasizing that the organization has a structure exemplified at the international level, concluded his remarks as follows:

"We are implementing a live surgery symposium at world standards in terms of technical infrastructure, live broadcast quality, and surgical diversity. I extend my thanks to the T.R. Ministry of Health Ankara Bilkent City Hospital administration for contributing to the realization of this organization, to all academics, healthcare workers, and colleagues serving within TOD.

The increasing international participation each year further strengthens the value of this scientific platform on a global scale."