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sustainability – were highlighted early in the session. Silvester returned to the topic later, sharing that technology that can allow this innovation to happen has already been developed in Israel and that he believed it will be seen more widely within the next five-10 years. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) FOR LENS PREDICTIONS IN THE FUTURE? Silvester emphasised the potential of AI in making lens predictions in the future, telling delegates that the technology is now able to predict a patient’s age, sex, whether they are a smoker, and which eye is being looked at, with 99% accuracy. These are things that a human would not be able to identify just from looking at the eye, he said. Attendees were able to visit SpaMedica’s stand after the session to see if they could ‘beat the AI’ themselves. Silvester is also working with the University of Manchester on a project to analyse post-operative data to see if refractive outcomes can be further improved, he said. IMPROVED TRAINING FOR EYE SURGERY Silvester noted that, in various SpaMedica locations, trainees are now able to observe and learn how to perform cataract surgery from experienced surgeons. “Training future ophthalmologists is the future of cataract surgery,” he said. COMPOUND 29: THE FUTURE OF CATARACT SURGERY? Compound 29, a drop that is currently being developed, could have the potential to dissolve cataracts in the eye, negating the need for surgery completely. The benefits to this could be huge: in 2020, a study published in Modern Optometry said that the drop could be “a game-changer as a less expensive, non-invasive option for treating a leading cause of blindness.” CAN WE INNOVATE WITH EYE DROPS? “There is no standard guidance on the use of eye drops post-cataract surgery,” Silvester said, and little consensus on how they should be used, or for how long. When considering this, he emphasised that the risks of antibiotic resistance should be considered, sharing the results of a risk stratification study of 38,000 people that suggested that drops may only be needed for one week. EYE SURGERY WITHOUT DROPS Trial with peri-operative non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) could be a ‘game-changer,’ Silvester said, controlling inflammation as it occurs rather than post- operatively. THE POTENTIAL FOR ROBOTIC EYE SURGERY The potential benefits of robotic eye surgery – efficiency, accuracy, TECHNOLOGY IS NOW ABLE TO PREDICT A PATIENT’S AGE, SEX, WHETHER THEY ARE A SMOKER, AND WHICH EYE IS BEING LOOKED AT, WITH 99% ACCURACY 52 VISION PLUS INDIA EDITION