Scaling Vision Innovation

What is your team most excited about in ophthalmology right now?

The need for eye care is significant and largely unmet. Globally, an estimated 157 million people live with moderate-to-severe uncorrected refractive errors, 1.8 billion have presbyopia, and 65 million have moderate-to-severe vision impairment from cataracts (1,2). That scale of need is a powerful motivator for our team.

My role at Alcon focuses primarily on implantable technologies, including IOLs. We’re committed to advancing patient outcomes through rigorous, world-class R&D – spanning disruptive innovation as well as ongoing advancements of established products like PanOptix^®.

For PanOptix Pro, our team evaluated hundreds of design options before landing on a targeted diffractive refinement that allowed us to recover 50 percent of light previously lost to scatter and reposition it to a beneficial focal point (3,4).* Feedback from surgeons so far has exceeded our expectations.

We’re also energized by future technologies to help enable more precise, data-driven decisions by looking at the intersection of diagnostics and IOL selection.

How is your team helping to drive meaningful change in ophthalmology?

We’re driving innovation in the presbyopia-correcting IOL (PCIOL) space through our Clareon^® IOL portfolio, including PanOptix Pro, PanOptix, and Vivity^®. With more than six million Alcon PCIOLs implanted globally – and cataract surgeries expected to reach 100 million annually by 2050 – we want to keep raising the bar for outcomes at scale (5,6).**

We work closely with eye care professionals to understand real-world challenges and translate those insights directly into R&D decisions. That input shapes everything from surgical instruments to platforms like UNITY^® VCS|CS, where feedback from surgeons surgeons, nurses and OR staff informed improvements in ergonomics, connectivity, and workflow.

What challenges come with shaping the future of ophthalmology?

One challenge is the rapid pace of PCIOL innovation. With many new designs entering the market, meaningful differentiation becomes more complex. There is no “free lunch in optics,” so innovation requires carefully balancing visual benefits and trade-offs.

More broadly, ophthalmology faces enormous unmet need, alongside aging populations and projected physician shortages. Industry must prioritize innovations that scale care without compromising safety.

What are your 5–10-year predictions for ophthalmic innovation?

Advances in AI, robotics, and next-generation IOL technologies will be the most significant drivers of change. With continued progress in optics and materials, we’re moving closer to delivering clearer, more functional vision for modern life, with fewer trade-offs.

Our goal is to provide vision that feels natural – or even exceeds what patients consider natural today.

^{©️ 2026 Alcon Inc. GLB/IMG-CLI-2600001}

^{Please refer to product labeling for a list of indications, warnings and precautions.
*Compared to Clareon PanOptix. PanOptix has 88% light utilization (12% scatter light)/PanOptix Pro has 94% light utilization (6% scatter light).
**Based on worldwide IOL unit sales of AcrySof ®IQ Vivity, Clareon Vivity, AcrySof IQ PanOptix, Clareon PanOptix, and Clareon PanOptix Pro IOLs, as of Q3, 2025.}