Join the Academy in San Francisco for our fourth Joint Meeting with the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO), from Oct. 24 to 27 at the Moscone Center.

Make time to enjoy San Francisco's beautiful scenery, famous attractions and delicious cuisine. 

Weather

In late October, San Francisco has average highs of 69°F (21°C), and average lows of 54°F (12°C), making it a great time to visit. Get the San Francisco 10-day weather forecast.

City Highlights

Spouse & Guest Program
This year’s Spouse and Guest Program highlights the unique beauty of the Bay Area, both natural and man-made.  Enjoy breathtaking views of the Farallon Islands, the Marin County hills, San Francisco and cities of the East Bay on a hike up Mt. Tamalpais (S08); explore the scenic Napa and Sonoma countryside while tasting world-class wines (S04); or take in some of the Mission District’s vibrant public murals (S16). Browse the virtual Spouse & Guest Program or search the Joint Meeting Online Program for complete details.

San Francisco Innovates!
Be sure to visit the new California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. It is the world’s "greenest" museum and includes a four-story rainforest, an aquarium, a planetarium and a natural history museum. The living roof features seven hillocks in 197,000 square feet, with 1.7 million native plants that provide habitat for various wildlife.

Pique Your Palate
San Francisco is renowned for its world-class restaurants. Make advance reservations through OpenTable.

Theatrical San Francisco
The City by the Bay has no shortage of energetic, unique performances.

• BATS Improv – A series of completely improvised shows, from Theatresports to improvised musicals.
• Beach Blanket Babylon – A zany musical spoof of pop culture, continually evolving in hilarious parodies of current events.
• Bisceglie's SF Follies – An eclectic collection of characters sing, dance and poke fun at San Francisco's past, present and future.
• Teatro ZinZanni – Interactive theater, spectacle, fine arts and fine dining under a European Spiegeltent.
• Tony ‘n’ Tina’s Wedding – The audience plays the roles of guests at the world's funniest wedding.
• Wicked – The untold story of the witches of Oz. This is the story of their remarkable odyssey.

Destination San Francisco
Starting with EyeNet's May issue, discover what makes San Francisco everyone's favorite destination. (Log-in may be required.)

More Highlights
There are many more fun things to see and do, Only in San Francisco.

2009 Scientific Program

This event is the largest, most extensive scientific meeting in ophthalmology. Earn CME credits and enjoy more than 2,000 hours of peer-reviewed scientific presentations and 100 hours of free programming.

The Scientific Program also includes:

• PAAO sessions - PAAO-sponsored courses and symposia of special interest to physicians practicing in the Western hemisphere.
• Subspecialty Day - Arrive one or two days early for in-depth meetings in several subspecialties.
• Practice Management/AAOE Program - Courses in human resources, coding, marketing and more.
• Exhibition - The world's largest ophthalmic exhibition, with more than 500 companies participating.

Members: Housing and registration are now open.

Nonmembers: Housing and registration open on July 15.

New Entry Procedures for VWP Countries

On Jan. 12, the Department of Homeland Security enacted the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). This new entry program requires nationals from a Visa Waiver Program country to register before traveling to the U.S. The Visa Waiver Program was expanded in October 2008 from 27 to 34 countries.

Consult Visitor Visas for more information.