From September 16-18, 2026, researchers, clinicians, students, industry representatives, and members of the patient community gathered in Helsinki for Helsinki Vision 2026.

With 116 participants representing 45 institutions across 12 countries, the meeting provided a focused international forum dedicated to visual neuroscience in health and disease.

As a sponsor of the meeting, Striatech was pleased to contribute an OptoDrum demonstration and participate in scientific discussions throughout the three-day event.

Bringing Basic and Clinical Vision Research Together

One of the defining characteristics of Helsinki Vision 2026 was its deliberate effort to bring together basic scientists, clinicians, and industry representatives.

Rather than separating fundamental research from clinical practice, the meeting focused on how advances in retinal physiology, visual neuroscience, and disease mechanisms can contribute to improved diagnostics and future therapeutic approaches.

This interdisciplinary approach was reflected throughout the programme and created valuable opportunities for discussion between researchers, clinicians, and industry representatives working on common scientific challenges.

Scientific Highlights

The programme featured an international speaker lineup representing leading institutions from across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia.

Sessions covered topics including:

• Retinal Circuits for Image and Non-Image Forming Vision
• Neural Adaptation During Retinal Degeneration
• Glaucoma: Early Detection and Mechanisms
• Retinitis Pigmentosa: From Genes to Dysfunction
• Non-Canonical Visual Functions in Health and Disease
• Beyond Vision: Diagnostics and Visual Restoration

A recurring theme throughout the meeting was the growing importance of understanding retinal function at both the cellular and systems level, and how this knowledge can inform future diagnostics and therapeutic interventions.

What stood out most, however, was the format of the scientific programme itself. While many conferences naturally focus on presenting the latest results from individual research projects, several speakers used the opportunity to step back and discuss broader scientific questions alongside their newest findings.

Rather than concentrating exclusively on specific datasets, many talks connected findings across studies, highlighted larger themes within the field, and explored future directions for vision research. This provided valuable context and helped place current discoveries into a wider scientific framework.

As Thomas Münch reflected after the meeting:

“What I particularly enjoyed was that many speakers had the opportunity to go beyond presenting a single project and instead discuss the bigger scientific questions behind their work. That made the talks especially insightful and enjoyable.”

OptoDrum Demonstration

As part of the sponsor programme, Striatech contributed a live OptoDrum demonstration.

The demonstration provided participants with an opportunity to learn more about objective and automated vision testing in animal models and discuss how functional vision assessment can support preclinical research.

Beyond the technical demonstration itself, the session created opportunities to discuss current challenges in visual function assessment, experimental design, and objective measurement approaches in vision research.

Scientific Exchange Beyond the Lecture Hall

Scientific meetings are about more than presentations and posters.

One of the strengths of Helsinki Vision 2026 was its relatively small and highly focused format. Conversations often continued beyond the scheduled sessions, creating many opportunities to reconnect with colleagues, exchange ideas, and establish new contacts.

The social programme played an important role in fostering this atmosphere. A Finnish sauna, a boat trip through Helsinki, and a gala dinner provided additional opportunities for informal discussions and helped create a welcoming setting for scientific exchange.

These interactions often proved just as valuable as the formal programme itself, strengthening existing connections and creating opportunities for new collaborations.

Looking Ahead

Helsinki Vision 2026 highlighted the value of bringing together basic science, clinical research, and technology development within a single scientific forum.

For Striatech, the meeting provided an opportunity to present the OptoDrum and engage with researchers and clinicians from across the vision science community.

We look forward to following many of the ideas and discussions that started in Helsinki.

📍 Helsinki Vision 2026 | #HelsinkiVision2026
📸 Photos courtesy of Riku Leppänen