On Saturday, April 12th, UNC Ophthalmology faculty, trainees and ophthalmic techs joined eye care professionals from across the Southeast and beyond at the daylong 2025 UNC EYE Symposium in Chapel Hill, NC. At this annual forum, UNC and distinguished guest eye specialists and ophthalmic APPs share knowledge-to-practice updates in evidence-based diagnostic and medical/surgical approaches to comprehensive eye care and treating ocular disorders and disease. The highly regarded UNC EYE Symposium grows by the year in attendance and drew a record number of speakers, learners and other eye care professionals in 2025. 
At this year’s Physician Sessions, UNC Ophthalmology clinical faculty experts shared their expertise alongside a six-member panel of Distinguished Guest Speakers from academic medical centers across the U.S. Speakers discussed the latest in practice in all major areas of subspecialized eye care, including Glaucoma, Vitreoretinal Disorders, Cornea/External Eye Disease, Cataract and Pediatric Ophthalmoloy, Oculoplastics and Reconstructive surgery and Neuro-ophthalmology. Technician sessions at this year’s Symposium included topics on application-focused practice, such as how to work up common cornea patients and an introduction to ophthalmic ultrasound.
This year’s distinguished guest physician eye specialists from institutions across the U.S. included:
- Kendall E. Donaldson, MD, MS
Rodgers Clark Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology
Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology
Medical Director – Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at Plantation - Michele C. Lim, MD
Professor of Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences
Tschannen Eye Institute
University of CA – Davis - Joan W. Miller, MD
Glendenning Cogan Professor & Chair of Ophthalmology
Harvard Medical School
Massachusetts Eye and Ear – Ophthalmologist-in-Chief - Julius Oatts, MD, MHS
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Perelman School of Medicine (UPenn) - Timothy McCulley, MD
Richard S. Ruiz Distinguished University Chair
Professor & Chair of Ophthalmology
UTHealth Science Center (Houston) - Paul D. Langer, MD, FACS
Professor of Ophthalmology
Director – Ophthalmic Plastic, Reconstructive & Orbital Surgery
Rutgers NJ Medical School
In 1963, the UNC EYE Symposium was instituted as an annual staff meeting of the UNC Department of Ophthalmology. At the point it grew into an CME conference for a wider audience of eye care professionals, the UNC Eye Symposium was restructured to offer scholarly excellence and professional enrichment to meet the continuing medical education needs and interests of ophthalmologists, optometrists, technicians and other eye care professionals. In recent years, Symposium Course Director, UNC Ophthalmology Chair and Kittner Family Distinguished Professor Donald J. Budenz, MD, MPH, and Co-Course Director and Residency Program Director Alice Zhang, MD, have led the extensive planning efforts invested in this growing event.
Reflecting on this year’s conference, Dr. Budenz noted: “The meeting was great thanks to everyone’s hard work. Kudos to to our Symposium coordinator Olivia Hall on her first time in overseeing so many details for a big event that ran smoothly and went VERY well. The marketing, registration, and other important tasks were also covered well and made a difference in increasing our attendance this year. All in all, it was a great team effort!”