Joel S. Schuman

Kenneth L. Roper Endowed Chair, Vice Chair for Research Innovation, Vickie and Jack Farber Vision Research Center, Co-Director (Glaucoma Service), Wills Eye Hospital; Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

What industry trends are catching your attention right now?

MIGS is very hot in the glaucoma space, and glaucoma is increasingly seen as a surgical disease even in areas with excellent access to care and medication. Evidence shows the benefit of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) as primary therapy, and new data suggest the importance of early surgery, particularly in advanced disease.

Make a bold prediction for the future of ophthalmology.

Regenerative ophthalmology will make significant inroads in the next decade, whether through stem cell therapy, gene therapy and gene editing, or through small molecule delivery, including through controlled release technologies.

How do you think AI and machine learning will impact ophthalmology?

I foresee AI and machine learning enhancing autonomous diagnostics so that relatively inexpensive and available technology will enable access to care in regions without adequate numbers of ophthalmologists and subspecialists. Such technologies will facilitate identification of disease and progression, and even predict an individual’s disease trajectory. This will improve health in all areas, reduce cost,  and decrease blindness.

What global trends in eye health should ophthalmologists be aware of?

Equity in access to care (and care itself).