Welcome to the Vit-Buckle Society!

The Vit-Buckle Society (VBS) was created by group of early career vitreoretinal surgeons with the mission “to provide an open forum for innovative vitreoretinal surgeons to share best practices, foster the development and use of novel surgical technologies and strategies for retinal diseases, and provide mentorship of emerging vitreoretinal surgeons.” The idea was conceived in 2006, with first activities held the year after. We are committed to this mission, and as we look to the future, we are excited for the many initiatives being led by the next generation of VBS leadership. VBS incorporated in 2008, and our official stand-alone annual meetings started in 2013.

The VBS Annual Meeting has become one of the year’s most anticipated, engaging, and exciting conferences. Previous attendees describe their experience as, “I feel educated, inspired, and connected,” and “I am so grateful to the VBS family. Absolutely amazing meeting from the first minute to the last. And the feeling, that special VBS vibe, that we all share gets passed down to all attendees and trainees … No other group and meeting like this!!!”

We also offer numerous educational programs throughout the year, many which are geared towards early career retina specialists, retina fellows, and ophthalmology residents. Key programs include the annual Fellows Foray during our annual meeting, as well as our VBS Surgical Rounds and VBS Medical Retina Rounds, which are webinars focused on discussing challenging surgical and medical cases.

Vit-Buckle Academy (VBA) has been a highlight for our society and training programs. VBA provides online surgical curriculums on vitrectomy, scleral buckling, and diabetic traction retinal detachment, and cases of the month, images of the month, a clinical trials guide, and a surgical video library. We continue to evolve VBA to provide the latest in surgical training and techniques. We are also home to the year-long Fostering Careers for Upcoming Stars (FOCUS) program, which aims to increase the pipeline of retina specialists from various backgrounds.

In addition to our educational programs we are proud to share that we are now a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Council, which serves as the advisory body to the Board of Trustees for the AAO. As a member of the Council representing Subspecialty and Specialized Interest Societies, VBS has the opportunity to be a strong advocate for the profession, and we have an important perspective that will ensure the very best care for our patients.

The 15th VBS Annual Meeting will convene April 1-3, 2027 in Miami. Join us as we come together to educate, mentor, and network with the next generation of vitreoretinal surgeons!

Yoshihiro Yonekawa, MD
President, Vit-Buckle Society

Mrinali Gupta, MD
President-Elect, Vit-Buckle Society

Aleksandra Rachitskaya, MD
Immediate Past President, Vit-Buckle Society