Eyeworld

38 | EYEWORLD | SPRING 2026 ASCRS NEWS ASCRS ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW About the physician Sean Ianchulev, MD Professor of Ophthalmology New York Eye and Ear of Mount Sinai New York, New York to solve it." Through the years, he said you start to think through the regulatory development and commercial process as well because ulti- mately, if you develop something innovative but we can't pay for it or it's not the right timing, it's not going to become a viable product. Dr. Ianchulev invented his first product as a resident, and he stressed that you don't have to have been in practice for many years to think about innovation. "I think young doctors and medical students can be part of that process." He mentioned several areas of innovation in ophthalmology that he's excited about, includ- ing artificial intelligence. He's been involved in the first robotic eye surgical system deployed in humans. In terms of the impact, Dr. Ianchulev said both robotics and artificial intelligence in the future will be tremendous. Dr. Ianchulev is working on several new technologies that he plans to unveil at his lecture. For those who would like to guess what technology Dr. Ianchulev plans to reveal, be sure to follow ASCRS on social media for your chance to weigh in. You can also visit www.drianchulev.com for more information. Innovator's Lecture Preview T his year, Sean Ianchulev, MD, will give the Charles D. Kelman, MD, Innova- tor's Lecture on the ASCRS Main Stage on Sunday, April 12. Dr. Ianchulev spoke to EyeWorld to preview the innovations he will discuss at the ASCRS Annual Meeting. Dr. Ianchulev has been involved with inno- vation from early in his career. Everyone wants to be involved in innovation these days, he said. "It's a great thing for physicians to be part of that, but unfortunately, innovation is not linear," he said, adding that there are a lot of steps like cycling through productization, registering with the FDA, etc. "I want to talk about the path from ideation to innovation," he said of his upcoming lecture. Many people have innovative ideas, but oftentimes, converting that from an idea to reality is complicated. "Unfortunately, no one teaches us how to do that," he said, adding that he wants his lecture to highlight what it takes to go from the idea to an actual product. Dr. Ianchulev thinks many of his colleagues are inventors "in the closet" who are too busy in the lanes to unlock their potential. He has developed an ophthalmic innovator scale for fellow ophthalmologists to check their innova- tor potential, the Innovation Scale (Ophthalmic Edition). Dr. Ianchulev feels fortunate that technol- ogies that he has developed are now reaching many people. "It's great to have an impact as a physician," he said. Dr. Ianchulev is involved in several innova- tions that are coming on the market this year, and he also plans to highlight these in his lec- ture. He described them as "categorical innova- tions" that are completely new products and/or categories of innovation. He's excited to unveil three new technologies during his Innovator's Lecture. Dr. Ianchulev also discussed how he chooses which innovations to get involved with, adding that his approach has evolved over the years. "When I first started, I was deciding to pursue something purely with my clinical gut," he said. "I'm a doctor; when we see a problem, we want Kevin M. Miller, MD, EyeWorld Cataract Editorial Board member and incoming ASCRS President, shared what he is looking forward to at the 2026 ASCRS Annual Meeting: "We've crossed the 50-year 'yard line' for ASCRS as a medical society, and soon we will cross the 250-year mark for the United States as a country. Both have been marvelous experiments! Come join the excitement, learn something new, and connect with colleagues at the best meeting in ophthalmology, this year to be held in Washington, D.C., the place where I was born!"

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