Canadian Glaucoma Society

What Canadian Glaucoma Society does

The Canadian Glaucoma Society (CGS) is a Canadian non-profit professional medical society, formally established in 1989 with roots extending to informal gatherings of Dr. Stephen Drance's glaucoma fellows at Canadian Ophthalmological Society meetings in the early 1970s. The society serves as a forum for fellowship-trained glaucoma subspecialists, general ophthalmologists, and scientists with an interest in glaucoma, and operates as a membership-based organization governed by an elected executive team (currently led by President Dr. Steven Schendel of the University of British Columbia and Past President Dr. Hady Saheb of McGill University). CGS is the only Canada-exclusive society focused on glaucoma and is closely operationally linked to the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS), through which membership administration is processed and with which it co-convenes an open annual meeting each June.

CGS's core products are professional services rather than technology offerings. These include the bi-annual Annual CGS Meeting (members-only, held in cities such as Ottawa in 2025 and Halifax in 2026) and the CGS@COS open meeting held each June alongside the COS annual meeting; the CGS Research Awards Program, which distributes the Best Glaucoma Paper Awards across training-stage categories and the named Stephen Drance Award for Excellence in Glaucoma Research; clinical guidelines such as the COVID-19 Eye Care Guidelines (2020) and the Evidence-Informed Approaches to Teleglaucoma report (2021), both endorsed by COS and ACUPO; a Fellowship Directory listing Canadian glaucoma fellowship programs; an educational module on open-angle glaucoma co-developed with COS; and a members-only online forum. Distribution is largely event-driven and digital: cgs-scg.org-hosted content plus coordinated programming with COS.

Revenue is generated through three streams: annual membership dues from eligible ophthalmologists and scientists (optometrists and industry-affiliated MDs/PhDs are not eligible for individual membership), meeting registration fees (CGS members pay $325, with junior members, residents, and fellows attending free), and tiered industry sponsorships from ophthalmic pharmaceutical and device companies at Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Friend levels, with Allergan/AbbVie, Théa, Bausch + Lomb, and Alcon named as sponsors. The organization is small and lean, with administrative contact handled via a generic Gmail address and minimal disclosed staff.

Name

Canadian Glaucoma Society

Legal name

Canadian Glaucoma Society

Website

https://cgs-scg.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Canadian Glaucoma Society is a non-profit professional medical society and forum for fellowship-trained glaucoma subspecialists, general ophthalmologists, and scientists in Canada, operating through bi-annual meetings, a research awards program, clinical guidelines, and a fellowship directory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Association (Ophthalmology)

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAKAKAG

Glaucoma Specialists

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Specialist Medical Practice/Ophthalmology & Optometry

SECONDARYEDAGAGAA

Medical & Clinical Reference (Physicians, Nursing, Allied Health)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Professional & Technical Reference Publishing

Keywords

• Professional medical society
• Glaucoma specialty association
• Ophthalmology member organization
• Physician professional membership
• Medical specialty society

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees charged to ophthalmologists, scientists, and fellowship-trained subspecialists. Optometrists and industry-affiliated MDs/PhDs are not eligible for individual membership.
2. Meeting Registration Fees: Revenue from annual meeting registrations. CGS Members pay $325, while Junior CGS Members/Residents/Fellows attend at no cost.
3. Industry Sponsorships: Pharmaceutical and medical device companies sponsor CGS meetings at Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Friend tiers. Companies include Allergan/AbbVie, Alcon, Bausch + Lomb, Théa, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The supplied input does not contain descriptive content about the organization's core offering. Based solely on the name, it appears to be a Canadian professional medical society serving clinicians and scientists focused on glaucoma; specific products and services are not supported by the input data.

Product overview

The Canadian Glaucoma Society operates as a professional medical organization rather than a commercial product company. Its core offerings include educational resources on glaucoma (testing, medical treatments, laser and surgical procedures), annual professional meetings combining research presentations with clinical education, awards recognizing excellence in glaucoma research, fellowship program listings, and evidence-based clinical guidelines including teleglaucoma and COVID-19 care recommendations. The society also maintains a members-only forum for professional discourse.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CGS holds its open meeting each June in conjunction with the Canadian Ophthalmological Society annual meeting. CGS is responsible for the glaucoma portion of the COS program and Skills Transfer sessions. Membership administration is handled through COS.
• Association of Canadian University Professors of Ophthalmology (ACUPO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCGS COVID-19 Guidelines were endorsed by ACUPO along with COS. ACUPO collaborates on guidelines and position statements related to eye care and glaucoma treatment in Canada.
• World Glaucoma AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCGS became a member of the World Glaucoma Association in 2013, representing Canadian glaucoma specialists in the international community.
• Glaucoma Research Society of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated organization founded by Dr. Graham Trope that supports glaucoma research. CGS links to their website and collaborates on research initiatives.
• World Glaucoma AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCGS provides educational links to the World Glaucoma Association Basic Course in Glaucoma, a 4-module online course covering diagnosis aspects including IOP, Gonioscopy, Standard Automated Perimetry, and Clinical Examination of the Optic Nerve.
• Allergan/AbbViemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor of CGS annual meetings. Allergan (now part of AbbVie) provides financial support for CGS events and programs.
• AlconmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze sponsor of CGS annual meetings. Alcon provides financial support and product visibility at CGS events.
• Bausch + LombmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver sponsor of CGS annual meetings, supporting the society's educational initiatives.
• ThéamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor of CGS annual meetings. Théa is a pharmaceutical company specializing in ophthalmology.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• European Glaucoma Society: The European Glaucoma Society is the European regional equivalent of CGS, organizing glaucoma guidelines, an annual congress, and subspecialist membership across EU member states. It is directly comparable in mission (advancing glaucoma care via subspecialist society), with analogous guidelines-development and congress-revenue models.
• American Glaucoma Society: The American Glaucoma Society is the direct US counterpart to CGS: a national professional society for fellowship-trained glaucoma specialists, founded by Dr. Stephen Drance as one of 69 Charter Members. CGS shares the same member archetype (glaucoma subspecialists), meeting cadence, and award-program structure.

Regional players

• Australian and New Zealand Glaucoma Society: The Australian and New Zealand Glaucoma Society is a regional glaucoma subspecialist society serving Australia and New Zealand, running annual scientific meetings and maintaining a fellowship-trained subspecialist membership. Comparable in scope and member archetype to CGS, but operating in a different geographic market.
• International Glaucoma Association: The International Glaucoma Association (UK) is a long-standing glaucoma charity and education society focused on patient support and professional education. It is comparable to CGS in mission but operates in a different geography (UK/Europe) and emphasizes patient advocacy more heavily than CGS's clinical-subspecialist focus.
• Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Society: The Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Society is a regional subspecialist society covering Asia-Pacific glaucoma specialists, with annual meetings and consensus guidelines analogous to CGS's offerings. It is a relevant regional peer that demonstrates how glaucoma subspecialist societies operate across different geographies.

Emerging players

• Pan-American Glaucoma Society: The Pan-American Glaucoma Society is a broader regional society that brings together glaucoma specialists across the Americas. It overlaps with CGS in member archetype and content but operates across multiple national societies, representing a potential collaboration partner or alternative KOL platform for sponsors.
• Glaucoma Research Society of Canada: The Glaucoma Research Society of Canada is a research-focused organization founded by Dr. Graham Trope that collaborates with CGS on research initiatives. It overlaps with CGS's research-award and fellowship mission but focuses narrowly on funding glaucoma science rather than running a clinical subspecialist society.
• Association of Canadian University Professors of Ophthalmology (ACUPO): ACUPO is an academic ophthalmology organization that co-endorses CGS guidelines (e.g., teleglaucoma, COVID-19) and collaborates on position statements. While it serves a broader ophthalmology academic constituency, ACUPO shares CGS's guideline-development and fellowship-training roles and is a natural collaboration partner.

Broad incumbents

• World Glaucoma Association: The World Glaucoma Association is the global umbrella of which CGS has been a member since 2013. While broader in scope, WGA organizes similar activities (consensus guidelines, educational courses such as the WGA Basic Course in Glaucoma, the World Glaucoma Week) that overlap directly with CGS's educational and guideline functions.
• Canadian Ophthalmological Society: The Canadian Ophthalmological Society is the broader national umbrella of Canadian ophthalmology, of which CGS is essentially the glaucoma subspecialty section. COS runs the annual meeting (where CGS@COS is embedded), administers CGS membership, and co-endorses CGS guidelines — making it both a strategic partner and the most directly comparable broader-scope society.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cgs_scg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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