A Look Back at the Best of 2024 in Ophthalmology

As is typical in the ophthalmic space, 2024 offered no shortage of technological innovations, diagnostic and treatment breakthroughs, and groundbreaking research—and Eyes On Eyecare was there to cover it all. Through articles, cheat sheets, and videos, our contributors provided top-quality educational resources for ophthalmologists at all career levels, from residents to early-career MDs to long-established clinicians.

Here is a wrap-up of the best content and most relevant trends of 2024 with a focus forward to 2025.

Artificial intelligence, real impact

When asked about the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI), Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, president of the American Medical Association, stated, “AI will never replace physicians—but physicians who use AI will replace those who don’t.”¹ In ophthalmology, AI is already being utilized to diagnose, monitor, and predict retinal diseases [e.g., diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), geographic atrophy (GA)] as well as glaucoma, cataracts, and corneal diseases.

Dive deeper into deep learning and AI with these articles:

Innovations in IOLs and rethinking refractive surgery

In the realm of refractive cataract surgery, the capabilities of intraocular lenses are continually expanding to facilitate a full visual range. Extended depth of focus, dual optic, toric, and light-adjusting lenses (LAL) are changing the game for surgeons and patients alike.

With vision-correcting laser eye surgery, customization is a growing goal. By implementing femtosecond lasers, wavefront-guided and topography-guided LASIK, and more minimally invasive procedures, such as PRK and SMILE, ophthalmologists are able to further tailor treatments. Smart systems integrating AI and machine learning along with improved eye-tracking technologies are also helping to improve already-impressive results.

Revisit some of our top refractive content:

In 2025, we will be introducing our refractive surgical video series, in which doctors demonstrate implantations of the latest IOLs and offer their most valuable clinical pearls.

New treatment options for challenging conditions

In 2024, the use of novel treatments and cutting-edge therapies became more widespread for a variety of ocular diseases, including corneal endothelial disease, diabetic macular edema, geographic atrophy, limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and retinitis pigmentosa. In addition, the growing field of gene therapy has become especially impactful in regard to inherited retinal disease.

Our authors offered their takes on some of these groundbreaking treatments:

Optimizing the ocular surface

It is estimated that dry eye disease affects 5 to 20% of the population in Western countries and 45 to 70% in Asian countries—this translates to approximately 20 million people in the United States and 344 million people worldwide who have been diagnosed with DED.^2,3,4

Add in the undiagnosed in the US, and the number jumps to 30 million.³ Considering these statistics it is no wonder that more and more emphasis is being put on addressing dry eye preoperatively by integrating the latest in diagnostics and treatment to diagnose and manage dry eye disease (DED).

Learn the latest on optimizing the ocular surface:

Maintaining a mindset

Along with advancements in technology, there has been a shift in philosophy of care. More and more physicians are seeing the value of adopting an interventional mindset. Based on the clinical experiences of cataract and refractive surgeons, Interventional Mindset is a new initiative harnessing the expertise from leaders across ophthalmology and focused on the three areas of glaucoma, ocular surface disease, and refractive cataract.

The goal is to empower clinicians and surgeons to think differently by breaking the walls down within a given specialty and stretching out of their comfort zones to learn new procedures and processes. Our Interventional Mindset video series, hosted by Preeya K. Gupta, MD, delivers actionable information on how to implement new technologies into their day-to-day operations.

Here are some of our favorite Interventional Mindset talks:

Educate, engage, entertain

One of the goals of Eyes On Eyecare is to consistently find new ways to make our content not only highly educational but entertaining. To keep readers increasingly engaged, we introduced new interactive elements to articles, including flashcards, quizzes, and downloadable cheat sheets.

Ready to test your knowledge on Managing Progression in Keratoconus? Head to this article and take the associated quiz.

Want to have CPT codes at your fingertips? Download our Essential Coding Guide for New Ophthalmologists with Cheat Sheet.

Looking to the future

There are some very exciting pipeline treatments and pharmaceuticals set for release in 2025.

From senolytics for the treatment of diabetic macular edema to mitomycin intravascular chemoembolization for corneal neovascularization and gene editing for inherited retinal diseases.

To fulfill our mission of providing the most relevant resources, we will be covering a vast range of clinical non-clinical topics in 2025, all geared to keep you informed and intrigued.

Some of the subjects we’ll be covering in 2025 include:

Challenges in Diagnosing and Treating Pediatric Uveitis
Sustaining Private Practice in a Consolidating Healthcare Market
Developments in Whole-Eye Transplantation
Revisiting the Benefits of Endoscopic Cyclophotocoagulation
The Future of Refractive Surgery in the Myopia Epidemic
Navigating Reimbursement Challenges in Ophthalmology
Suprachoroidal Viscopexy for Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment
The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Glaucoma Care

In closing

We at Eyes On Eyecare appreciate your loyal readership over this past year and are excited to continue to supply the highest quality of free, easily accessible, and accurate information to you throughout the upcoming months.

For more on the highlight and lowlights of 2024, head over to Glance to see a rundown of 2024 FDA-approvals and ophthalmic launches.