8th Annual Military Vision Symposium

Last week, Harvard Ophthalmology hosted its 8th annual Military Vision Symposium at Mass Eye and Ear. The two-day event brought together military leaders, clinicians, and scientists, with the goal of propelling innovative research that will lead to improved treatment and prevention strategies for combat-related eye injuries.

More than 100 attendees joined us for panel discussions, lectures, and lightning talks on a range of topics including robotics and AI-assisted ophthalmic care delivery to war zones, complete eye transplantation, and non-surgical strategies for the management of corneal injuries.

Congratulations to our trainee lighting talk winners:

First Place

• Nikolay Boychev, PhD, Mass Eye and Ear, “Overcoming antimicrobial resistance in bacterial keratitis with an antibiotic-eluting contact lens”

Second Place (Three-way Tie)

• Matthew Frost, University of Connecticut Health, “Neuroprotection and regeneration of optic nerve axons in blast pressure wave model of traumatic optic neuropathy”
• Yuan Tian, PhD, Duke Eye Center, “Efficient anterior chamber particle tracking using adaptive scanning OCT”
• Asmaa Zidan, MD, Mass Eye and Ear, “Pro-regenerative and anti-fibrotic effects of calcitonin gene-related peptide on corneal wound healing”

Thank you to our planning committee members Dong Feng Chen, PhD, Joseph Ciolino, MD, and Darlene Dartt, PhD, for putting together such a wonderful program, and our event team members, Christina Stetson, Linda Benson, and Danielle Smith for making this event possible.