From the offical press release:

Thank you for your patience and understanding while ARVO leadership has closely monitored the COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation as it has quickly evolved over the past week. After thoughtful deliberation, it is with a sad and heavy heart that a decision has been made to cancel the Annual Meeting to have taken place May 1 – 7 in Baltimore, Md. As indicated in our previous message, the health, safety and well-being of the ARVO global community is our highest priority. Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), yesterday’s announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a pandemic, numerous university and institutional travel restrictions and ever-increasing numbers of confirmed cases all provide a clear need to take this action.

Our eye and vision community is greatly affected by the lost opportunity to present the latest research and collaborate with colleagues. Please look for additional communication from us in the next two weeks that will provide alternative presentation options as we continue to work through those details.

We want to provide all attendees with ample time to manage air travel and hotel reservations. We urge those who were planning to attend the Annual Meeting to expedite flight cancellations. Attendees who booked through ARVO housing do not need to do anything; reservations will be cancelled automatically. Individuals who booked reservations on their own should cancel them immediately. Annual Meeting registration fees will be fully refunded for individuals that do not select an alternative presentation option when that information is released in the next two weeks.

We are grateful to everyone who has worked tirelessly with the planning of ARVO 2020, the new Bench to Bedside meeting, the Imaging in the Eye Conference and ARVO’s live Education Courses. We ask for your patience as we work diligently to address questions and provide additional information to all who are impacted by this cancellation.

W. Daniel Stamer, PhD, FARVO
ARVO President Justine R. Smith, FRANZCO, PhD, FARVO
ARVO Executive Vice President Iris M. Rush, CAE
ARVO Executive Director