Eyecelerator @ AAO: Conversations with Eye Care’s Innovators
Here’s what’s driving investment and next-gen ophthalmic technology, from the voices behind the innovations.
Published October 16, 2026
Eyecelerator @ AAO 2026 brought together the people building the future of ophthalmology: KOLs, investors, and the emerging companies behind novel clinical treatments and technologies. Between sessions, our team caught up with industry leaders to ask what they’re seeing, what excites them, and where they think eye care goes from here. Their answers touch on advances in the clinic, trends in funding, and the products poised to disrupt how patients are treated. Watch the full set of interviews below.
Jeremy Barlow
Carrot
Chief Executive Officer
Carrot’s definitive agreement to acquire GreenMan InSight VR.
Gaurav Bhatnagar
Tilda Research
Chief Growth Officer
Current challenges facing ophthalmology clinical trial research.
Henric Bjarke
Tenpoint Therapeutics, Ltd.
Chief Executive Officer
Tenpoint Therapeutics’ YUVEZZI for the treatment of presbyopia.
Anne Marie Cairns
Optos
Chief Clinical & Marketing Officer
Optos milestones achieved this year.
Ted Davis
Biotissue
President & Chief Executive Officer
Biotissue’s CAM360 AmnioGraft treatment for corneal disease.
Dhaval B. Desai
4DMT
Chief Development Officer
4DMT’s 4D-150 to deliver continuous control and long-term vision preservation.
Pete England
ViaLase, Inc
Chief Commercial Officer
ViaLase’s FLigHT femtosecond-lsaer trabeculotomy platform.
Daniela Ferrara, MD
Topcon Healthcare
Chief Medical Officer
The launch of Oku Digital Health Inc.
Paul Hallen
NanoScope Therapeutics, Inc.
Chief Operating Officer
NanoScope’s MCO optogenetic platform.
Jeanne Hecht
Lexitas Pharma Services, Inc.
Chief Executive Officer & Executive Chairwoman
Lexitas Pharma Services’ purchase of Erie Retina Research.
Greg Hoffmeyer
Heidelberg Engineering
Head of Strategic Market Development
The launch of an updated version of the Spectralis OCT platform.
Seph Jensen
Balance Ophthalmics
Chief Executive Officer
Balance Ophthalmics’ FSYX ocular pressure adjusting pump.
Eris Jordan, OD
Aurion Biotech
Co-Founder & Chief Development Officer
Aurion’s ASTRA phase 3 pivotal study for AURN-001, allogeneic cell therapy.
Jim Mazzo
Ophthalmology Foundation
President
The Opthalmology Foundation’s mission to fund resources to train ophthalmologists globally.
Jim Mazzo
Neurotech
Executive Chair
Neurotech’s Encelto for patients with MacTel disease.
Cody McKenzie
Glaukos Corporation
Vice President, Global Marketing & Commercial Strategy
Launching and expanding access to Epioxa.
Mitul Mehta, MD
Eyedaptic
Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer
Eyedaptic’s smart glasses for patients with AMD and low vision.
Patrick Mooney
SpyGlass Pharma, Inc.
Chief Executive Officer
SpyGlass Pharma’s BIM-IOL drug-delivery IOL platform.
Erin Schallhorn Powers
Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision
President, North America
The new SmartLoad IOL delivery system.
Andrew D. Pucker, OD, PhD, FAAO
Mintra Health
Chief Development Officer
How the CRO incorporates AI technology in clinical trials.
Sharon Rosenzweig-Lipson, PhD
Life Biosciences
Chief Scientific Officer
Life Biosciences first in human clinical trial of ER-100.
Tom Ruggia
Theialife
Chief Executive Officer
Theialife’s ND10 oral therapy for progressive myopia in children.
Rob Sambursky, MD,
DefEYE™, Inc.
Chief Executive Officer
DefEYE’s decelluralized placental-based ocular tissue.
John Sheets, PhD
Omega Ophthalmics
Chief Operating Officer
Omega Ophthalmics’ Gemini Capsule for cataract surgery.
Riad Sherif, MD,
Oculis
Chief Executive Officer
Oculis’ pipeline in dry eye disease and optic neuritis.
Jeff Sieve
Heidelberg Engineering US
President
The new Heidelberg RCM.
Jerry St. Peter
PolyActiva
Chief Executive Officer & Board Director
PolyActiva’s Prezia sustained biodegradable drug-delivery implant.
Adam Szaronos
Iantrek
Chief Executive Officer
The AlloSpan bio-reinforced canal restoration platform.
Scott Xiao
Luminopia
Co-Founder and CEO
Luminopia’s virtual reality binocular amblyopia treatment.
