Renato Ambrósio Jr.

Professor of Ophthalmology, Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro; Director of Refractive Surgery, Rio Vision Hospital & Instituto de Olhos Renato Ambrósio, CEO of BrAIN (Brazilian Artificial Intelligence Network in Medicine), Brazil

What industry trends are catching your attention right now?

There have been many advancements in refractive surgery, with several more recent improvements in patient care. Firstly, I would highlight the development of multimodal diagnostics, including corneal tomography and biomechanical assessments, raytracing optical modeling, and wavefront technology. 

New approaches to treating ocular surface disorders and optimizing wound healing are also particularly important. These developments could potentially improve the outcomes of refractive surgery and reduce the risk of complications. For example, the evolution of lasers, including excimer and femtosecond lasers, is of keen interest to me. However, while the progress in laser vision correction procedures (PRK, LASIK, and SmILE) is impressive, refractive surgery includes phakic IOLs and refractive cataract surgery; in other words, there is still much work to do.

What is a little-known fact about you?

I am a second-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and also a musician. In fact, my pianistic abilities led to me to compose one theme for my wife which I played during our wedding ceremony. I also love to write, and, more recently, I discovered a passion for ancient philosophy, especially stoicism. 

If you weren’t an ophthalmologist, what would you be doing instead?

I love my profession, but I could be a musician, a writer, or a professor of philosophy.