The Retina Society

The Retina Society was founded in 1968 exclusively for educational and scientific purposes concerning the diagnosis, care and treatment of diseases and injuries to the retina. The Retina Society began as an outgrowth of alumni meetings of Retina Associates, a retina practice founded in Boston in 1951 by Charles L. Schepens. Dr. Schepens is credited with establishing retina surgery as a sub-specialty.

By 1955, weekly meetings of the fellows of Retina Associates were complemented by larger meetings of the Alumni in the fall and spring. The spring meeting was a course and the fall meeting, held during the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, was a dinner meeting followed by a scientific panel discussion of new developments in the field. Around 1966, retina specialists who had not trained in Boston exerted pressure to attend the informal meetings held twice each year.