2025 has brought a wave of innovation and developments that are already reshaping day-to-day clinical practice. We asked our key faculty to reflect on what they believe has been most impactful so far this year – here’s what they told us.

Across ophthalmology, a clear theme has been the convergence of therapeutic innovation and smarter monitoring strategies. As treatment paradigms evolve, particularly in chronic retinal disease, experts emphasise that technological progress must be matched by systems that ensure patients fully benefit from longer-lasting therapies.

“Therapeutic progress promises to extend treatment intervals and reduce the burden on patients with nAMD; however, without adequate monitoring, the full benefits of these innovations may not be realized. AI provides an effective solution, enabling reliable follow-up for patients on longer treatment extensions

Home OCT can serve as a critical safety net, enabling early detection of reactivation in patients on extended treatment intervals before meaningful deterioration occurs”

Anat Loewenstein, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), Israel

In glaucoma care, 2025 has been marked less by brand-new approvals and more by a shift in clinical confidence and uptake. Sustained-release therapies are moving from novelty to routine use, changing how clinicians think about adherence, ocular surface health and workflow efficiency:

“The most impactful development of 2025 is the expanding adoption of sustained-release glaucoma therapies. Durysta and iDose were approved in previous years, but many surgeons are just now discovering how they transform the treatment of glaucoma.

Unlike with drops, these drugs give absolute confidence that the recommended treatment is being received, and they are much more friendly to the ocular surface. There is a reasonable reimbursement mechanism without time-consuming prior authorizations. Everybody wins.”

John Hovanesian, Harvard Eye Associates, Orange County, CA, USA

From a surgical standpoint, 2025 has underscored a move toward greater precision, prediction and personalisation in retinal care. Advances in imaging, analytics and surgical access routes are reshaping both how disease is understood and how interventions are planned and executed:

“From a vitreoretinal surgeon’s perspective, this year marked a clear shift toward more precise and personalized retinal care. Artificial intelligence is increasingly supporting retinal imaging by improving longitudinal follow-up, enabling objective quantification of disease activity, and identifying meaningful imaging biomarkers. These advances are helping clinicians better understand disease behaviour and treatment response, particularly in complex retinal conditions.

At the same time, retinal surgery is evolving beyond the vitreous cavity. The subretinal and suprachoroidal spaces are gaining importance as surgical and therapeutic routes, closely linked to advances in gene therapy and targeted drug delivery. Improved imaging and data-driven analysis are also refining our understanding of postoperative retinal detachment behavior and proliferative vitreoretinopathy development, with the potential to better predict outcomes and tailor interventions. Finally, technical progress in vitreoretinal surgery continues to refine surgical precision, with smaller-gauge instruments now providing the stiffness, stability, and efficiency traditionally associated with larger gauges, allowing safer and more controlled surgery in complex cases. Altogether, these developments suggest a future in which retinal surgery is increasingly guided by objective biomarkers, predictive models, and individualized strategies rather than reactive management alone.”

Jelena Potic, University Eye Clinic, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia and Jules-Gonin Eye Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland

The global impact of artificial intelligence has been another defining feature of 2025, particularly in regions where access to specialist care remains uneven. For clinicians working in large, diverse healthcare systems, AI is already delivering tangible benefits in screening, triage and timely referral:

“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.”

Marina Roizenblatt, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil

Finally, gene therapy continues to build momentum, transitioning from promise to practice. Encouraging clinical trial data are now beginning to influence real-world thinking, broadening expectations for both inherited and acquired retinal disease:

“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.”

Maria Vittoria Cicinelli, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy

Taken together, these perspectives paint a picture of 2025 as a year defined not just by innovation, but by integration – where AI, advanced therapeutics and new delivery strategies are increasingly aligned with real-world clinical needs, paving the way for more proactive, personalised and equitable patient care.