Membership
Membership Categories
Physicians
Member
- An ophthalmologist who has completed a vitreoretinal fellowship of one year or more
- Currently engaged in an active practice with a significant percentage of time devoted to instruction, research, or patient care in retina and vitreous diseases
- Licensed to practice medicine in one or more of the United States or in Canada
- Board certified by the ABO, AOBO or equivalent in Canada
- Shall provide the names of two referring ASRS members
- Application fee of $150 at the time of application submission and annual dues thereafter
- All regular member applicants who completed fellowships in 2016 or after are required to complete an Activity Log as part of the membership application process:
- Register for the Activity Log
- ASRS Activity Log must meet all required standards before your application will be reviewed
- All Members have the right to vote and be eligible to hold office
International Member
- An ophthalmologist who has completed a vitreoretinal fellowship (or equivalent in their country)
- Currently engaged in an active practice with a significant percentage of time devoted to instruction, research, or patient care in retina and vitreous diseases
- Board certified as appropriate in their country
- Shall provide the names of two referring ASRS members
- Application fee of $150 at the time of application submission and annual dues thereafter
- All International Members have the right to vote and be eligible to hold office
Fellow-in-Training (FIT)
- Currently engaged in a 1- or 2- year fellowship in vitreoretinal diseases in the US or Canada
- Completion of an approved residency in ophthalmology
- Applicants’ fellowship director must complete our fellowship verification form, which will be sent to them by the ASRS at the time of application submission
- Regular participation in ASRS Fellow’s Activity Log is required to maintain an active membership. Register for the Activity Log
- Ineligible to hold office or vote
International Fellow-in-Training (FIT)
- Currently engaged in a fellowship in vitreoretinal diseases outside the US or Canada
- Completion of an approved residency in ophthalmology
- Applicants’ fellowship director must complete our fellowship verification form, which will be sent to them by the ASRS at the time of application submission
- Ineligible to hold office or vote
Fellow-in-Training upgrade guidelines:
Following completion of fellowship, FIT and International FIT members have six months to submit an application to upgrade to either regular or international membership in order to remain active members of the society. FIT Members who do not become board certified within six months of fellowship completion will be offered a 1 year FIT provisional membership and will be required to pay regular member dues for that year.
If a FIT does not complete the upgrade process within the 6 month requirement and/or does not pay their FIT provisional membership dues, they will be required to reapply for membership and pay any corresponding application fees. Please contact the ASRS for further information including upgrade application deadlines.
Senior Members
- A member who has retired from full-time medical work and requests to be made a Senior Member
- Waived dues
- Digital subscriptions to JVRD and Retina Times
- Ineligible to hold office or vote
Lifetime Members
- A member who has fully retired from medical work and meets the following criteria:
1.) has been an active member of ASRS for a minimum of twenty years and,
2.) attended at least one Annual Meeting in the past 5 years
- Waived dues
- Reduced meeting registration
- Digital subscriptions to JVRD and Retina Times with the option to request paper copies
Associates
An ophthalmologist, physician or holder of a graduate degree who has made a major scientific contribution to the field of retina and vitreous diseases is eligible to become a Scientific Associate of the Society upon approval by the Society’s Credentials Committee and upon the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the Board of Directors. Applicants shall submit a letter of request outlining their qualifications and desire to become a member.
They must also provide two letters of recommendation from current ASRS Board of Director members and one recommendation letter from a current Member or International Member of the Society. Applicants shall pay an application fee at the time of their application submission and annual dues thereafter.
A Scientific Associate may not vote or hold office or serve on committees of the Society and shall pay such fees as are determined from time to time by the Board of Directors. Scientific Associates may participate in the Scientific Meetings of the Society and may have access to such publications, programs and other Society benefits as the Board of Directors may from time to time determine. The Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, may at any time terminate the position of any Scientific Associate.
Ophthalmology Resident
- Has matched into a US or Canadian ophthalmology program and has started the integrated PGY1 year or ophthalmology residency. (Please note that currently we are unable to accept applications from international ophthalmology programs.)
- Applicants’ residency program director must provide a confirmation letter. Download the template for completion by the residency program director prior to beginning your application. Other forms of documentation cannot be substituted for the Resident Director letter.
- Ineligible to hold office or vote
- Allowed to hold status as a Resident member until June 30 of the last year of ophthalmology residency. Upon successful match into a medical retina or surgical retina fellowship, the resident member is permitted to submit a request for transition of membership status.
- A resident member is eligible to submit and present in the poster category at the annual meeting if sponsored by a regular ASRS member.
Practice Administrators
- Applicant currently works as the practice administrator for a current ASRS member’s practice
- Initial enrollment form will be completed and submitted by the ASRS member for his/her practice administrator
- Applicant practice administrator shall pay a reduced dues fee from those set for members and international members. Dues are $100 per year for practice administrator members.
- Once enrolled, practice administrators will receive a welcome email with instructions on how to complete an online member profile.
Physician Membership required to enroll a PA
2024 Dues Rates
Membership dues are set by the ASRS Board of Directors and are on a calendar-year cycle. New members will be invoiced upon acceptance into the Society.
|
Early Bird On or before April 1 |
Regular After April 1 |
|
| Regular Member | $525 | $550 |
| International Member | $425 | $450 |
| FIT, International FIT Member, and Ophthalmology Resident | $0 | $0 |
| Special rate for new international members | $250 | $250 |
| Practice Administrator Member | $100 | $100 |
Benefits of Membership
MEETINGS AND EDUCATION
Annual Scientific Meeting: The year’s premier retina event attracting vitreoretinal specialists from across the globe for networking and a multi-faceted educational program featuring expert presentations on state-of-the-art retina techniques and clinical breakthroughs, expert panels, 3-d surgical video presentations, a vast clinical poster display, industry exhibits and more.
Annual Business of Retina Meeting : This unique event is designed for retina physicians and administrators to gather information and transformational strategies for boosting practice efficiency and success in the increasingly complex health care environment.
Continuing Medical Education: ASRS is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide medical education for physicians. ASRS offers many CME opportunities including our Annual Scientific Meeting, the Business of Retina Meeting, and a series of live and enduring educational webinars, featuring leading retina specialists weighing in on a wide range of topics.
RESOURCES
Therapeutic Surveillance Activities: ASRS collaborates with the FDA and CDC to investigate reported adverse events and notifies members about relevant FDA MedWatch alerts.
Find a Retina Specialist: As a service to the general public, ASRS offers the online Find a Retina Specialist directory to help patients find retina specialists in their geographic areas. Inclusion in the online directory is reserved for ASRS members who opt to participate.
ASRS.ORG: Your ticket to all things retina begins here. The site offers a vast array of educational resources, practice and policy information, as well as industry and society news.
Multimedia Library: A one-stop shop for our most compelling multimedia assets. Browse our collections of innovative surgical videos, Clinical Updates from the Field, Spotlight Cases, webinars, podcasts, images, meeting presentations and more.
Retina Career Center: Members looking to fill a position in their practices or take the next step in their retina careers are invited to take advantage of the ASRS Retina Career Center for a customized, retina-focused search experience.
Retina Image Bank: A vast open-access library of more than 25,000 unique and downloadable retina images.
Annual Meeting Archives: A clinical treasure trove featuring enduring scientific meeting content from podium presentations and posters to on-demand cases, courses and papers.
PAT Survey: The annual Preferences and Trends Survey (PAT) measures member preferences on a wide range of medical, surgical and socioeconomic topics and allows participants to benchmark themselves against their peers in real time. Members are eligible to participate and to receive survey results. ASRS also offers the Global Trends in Retina Survey examining retina practice trends worldwide.
PUBLICATIONS
ASRS provides first-class publications to keep members well informed about developments impacting retina from socioeconomic and regulatory issues to advances in retina science and practice.
Journal of VitreoRetinal Diseases (JVRD): ASRS's official peer-reviewed scientific journal provides a trusted resource for the highest-quality research and clinical information in the rapidly evolving field of retina. JVRD is published online and in print 5 times a year and is free for members.
Retina Times: This quarterly print publication covers the latest clinical trials, research, and technology updates, ASRS news and meeting plans, as well as socioeconomic issues and international news.
Retina News & Alerts: Retina FYI is a weekly e-update on Society activities, programs, evolving regulatory and practice issues. Late-breaking news is communicated to member through timely e-blasts alerts.
ADVOCACY
Advocacy Initiatives: ASRS serves as the voice of retina, advocating inside the 'beltway' and beyond on behalf of retina specialists and their patients on an array of legislative and regulatory issues as well as third-party payer issues.
CUSTOMIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE
Through ASRS membership sections -- Early Career; Women in Retina; Fellow-in-Training; Fellowship Directors; International and, Practice Administrator -- members can tailor their experience with programs, resources, networking events, grants/scholarships geared toward their specific interests, career levels and needs.