Among the highlights, we’ve seen new data validating personalized wavefront-guided ablation for patients with complex corneal profiles, and encouraging signs that gene therapy is beginning to deliver on its long-awaited potential in retinal care.

We asked four of our touchOPHTHALMOLOGY Future Leaders 2025 to share what they believe has been most impactful so far this year, and here’s what they told us.

While not exclusive to the past six months, one of the most exciting shifts in recent months has been the global move toward personalized therapeutic refractive surgery guided by total corneal wavefront analysis. This approach is especially valuable for irregular corneas, such as in keratoconus. At the same time, new software tools now allow us to simulate how the cornea will look after laser ablation — helping surgeons plan more precisely and patients understand their likely outcomes. It’s a leap forward in customization and predictability.

I believe one of the most important developments this year in ophthalmology has been the growing momentum around gene therapy for retinal diseases – both acquired or inherited, with encouraging clinical trial results that are starting to translate into real-world applications. This is setting the stage for a broader integration of genetic-based treatments in retinal practice.

Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy

Definitely the standardization and expansion of CAIRS (corneal allogeneic intrastromal ring segments), that it is really changing the way we treat moderate to advanced keratoconus, reducing our numbers of DALK in such population.

Vissum (Miranza Group)/Universidad Miguel Hernández Medical School, Alicante, Spain

I believe many would agree that Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to be the most transformative development in retina practice. As a retina specialist working in São Paulo, Brazil, a large and developing country with different healthcare challenges compared to places like the US, I see AI-based tools playing a crucial role in patient care. These tools help triage patients and detect retinal pathologies earlier, especially in remote areas where access to specialized services is limited. This support enables general ophthalmologists to identify cases that require referral more effectively, which is particularly impactful in resource-limited settings by improving both access and efficiency. For instance, we have started integrating AI into diabetic retinopathy screening protocols, which has helped reduce the time to treatment in high-demand public clinics and prevent the progression to advanced disease.

                                                                              Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil