EURETINA 2025: Peter Kiraly, PhD, helps young retinal specialists break into the vitreoretinal space

The European Society of Retina Specialists (EURETINA) celebrated its 25th Congress this year in Paris, France. For almost half of its tenure, EURETINA has supported a special program for early-career clinicians. The Young Retina Specialists (YOURS) group provides resources and training for retina doctors under the age of 40. At this year's meeting, the Eye Care Network spoke with Peter Kiraly, PhD, about YOURS opportunities at the meeting, including preparation for one of the European Board of Ophthalmology (EBO) subspecialty exams.

Dr Kiraly is a vitreoretinal fellow at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and a clinical research fellow at Oxford Eye Hospital. He also serves within EURETINA as a member of the YOURS committee. This year, he co-chaired the EBO subspecialty exam course on vitreoretinal (VR) surgeries, presenting on vitreomacular interface disorders including lamellar hole, full-thickness macular hole and epiretinal membrane disorders.

"Retinal specialists should have some vitreoretinal background to be able to deliver excellent care," Dr. Kiraly said in an interview. "The vitreoretinal subspecialty is very competitive and sometimes it's difficult to get hands-on experience." He shared guidance for young retina specialists who want more practical experience in the VR field, encouraging them to seek out opportunities in other countries. "If you feel stuck and can't do VR surgery [where you are], maybe mobility is the key, and you should complete a vitreoretinal fellowship abroad," he advised.

Any young retina specialists looking for more information on Dr. Kiraly's advice can tune into YOURS programming year-round to learn more. The YOURS committee hosts content year-round, including videos and podcast series—and just a few months ago, Dr. Kiraly said, the YOURS program had a podcast episode about international fellowships. The online programs do their best to capture the collaborative energy of an in-person meeting. "Throughout the year we do a lot of webinars," Dr. Kiraly said, "that are very interactive with a lot of questions and answers." To learn more about YOURS opportunities, and hear Dr. Kiraly's predictions for the near and distant future of retina care, watch the full interview video above.