Looking back at the 2025 EnVision Summit

Editor's Note: This content was generated with the assistance of AI.

The EnVision Summit 2025 offered a broad spectrum of continuing medical education (CME) tailored to clinicians in ophthalmology and optometry. This annual conference, designed “by physicians for physicians,” emphasized evidence-based clinical content, interprofessional collaboration, and practical strategies to optimize patient outcomes across subspecialties.

The 2025 program built on its evolving reputation as a multispecialty educational forum that successfully integrates ophthalmology and optometry, premium CME content, and a family-friendly format to foster professional growth without sacrificing work–life balance.

Conference Structure and Educational Philosophy

The summit’s agenda encompassed symposia, panel discussions, surgical video presentations, and leadership seminars, all focusing on novel clinical insights, diagnostic advances, and management paradigms covering glaucoma, retina, cornea, cataract, uveitis, pediatrics, oculoplastics, and practice operations. A notable addition was the expanded optometry track, which underscored the value of shared clinical perspectives in comanagement and coordinated patient care between providers.

Furthermore, workshop formats and poster sessions encouraged interactive learning, and free registration for residents, fellows, and medical students enhanced trainee engagement with thought leaders in the field.

Glaucoma Management and Surgical Pearls

Clinical Management with Co-Morbidities

Several sessions focused on glaucoma in complex clinical scenarios, including patients with myopia or prior corneal transplantation. Presenters such as Poonam Misra, MD, and Alcina Lidder, MD, highlighted strategies to tailor therapy in eyes where concurrent pathology alters traditional risk stratification and response to treatment.

Surgical Complications and Mitigation

Speakers including Tania Tai, MD, Shivani Kamat, MD, and Lucy Shen, MD, delved into intraoperative and postoperative complications encountered in glaucoma surgery. They discussed hypotony, tube malposition, and bleb management, emphasizing anticipatory planning and surgical adaptability—crucial aspects of patient safety and surgical success in complex glaucoma cases.

Comanagement Across Lifespan

Optometry perspectives, including those shared by Jessica Steen, OD, FAAO, highlighted the continuum of glaucoma care, advocating for coordinated long-term monitoring and intervention strategies that optimize patient outcomes over time.

Retina and Artificial Intelligence in Diagnostics

AI and Structural OCT Biomarkers

Giulia Corradetti, MD, presented on the use of deep learning to identify and predict structural optical coherence tomography (OCT) biomarkers in intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD), emphasizing how machine learning may soon augment clinical decision-making by improving risk stratification and enabling earlier intervention.

Neurodegenerative Disease Detection

Sharon Fekrat, MD, FACS, FASRS discussed multimodal imaging and machine learning algorithms to identify retinal biomarkers that correlate with neurodegenerative diseases, a burgeoning area of research with potential implications for earlier systemic disease detection and referral pathways.

Neovascular AMD and Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)

Sherrol Reynolds, OD, FAAO contributed to discussions on patient-centered care and contemporary treatment strategies for neovascular AMD and DME, integrating real-world considerations into therapeutic decision-making.

Gene Therapy and Emerging Research

Discussions led by Mike Farkas, PhD explored “beyond the status quo” approaches in gene therapy for inherited retinal degenerations, highlighting experimental strategies that investigate alternatives to traditional adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene replacement and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing.

Other retina sessions—including those by Kelly Donovan, MD, investigating hyperglycemia’s role in early diabetic retinopathy, and Oleg Alekseev, MD, PhD, focusing on the diagnostic complexity of inherited retinal disorders with >300 implicated genes—exposed clinicians to cutting-edge research with clinical relevance to complex retinal disease evaluation.

Cornea, Cataract, and Refractive Surgery Insights

Keratoconus and Scleral Lens Management

Ashley Wallace Tucker, OD, FAAO, FSLS, provided insights into early detection and management of keratoconus, including practical tips for scleral lens fitting — critical for improving visual outcomes in irregular corneal conditions.

Pediatric Cataract Surgery

Angela Zhu, MD, offered pearls for pediatric cataract surgery, emphasizing age-specific surgical techniques and postoperative considerations that differ from adult cataract management.

EVO Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL)

Arjan Hura, MD, walked attendees through integrating EVO ICL into practice, underscoring considerations for patient selection, outcomes, and expanding surgical skill sets beyond traditional cataract and refractive procedures.

Practice Operations and Coding Updates

CME-Relevant Operational Tools

Practical sessions included guidance on ergonomics in the operating room presented by Amy Zhang, MD, which focused on provider health and safety during surgical practice. Additionally, Lana Rifkin, MD, provided advice on appropriate utilization of the new G2211 coding modifier, an increasingly relevant aspect of ophthalmology practice management in contemporary clinical billing frameworks.

Poster Awards and Trainee Engagement

The Best Poster Presentation Awards recognized outstanding contributions by medical students and trainees who showcased original research, fostering an academic culture and encouraging ongoing engagement in scholarly activity within ophthalmology.

Conclusion

The EnVision Summit 2025 offered a rich and varied educational experience that transcended traditional CME models by integrating multispecialty content, practical clinical tools, and fostering interprofessional dialogue. Clinical sessions ranged from advanced diagnostic technology to nuanced therapeutic strategies across glaucoma, retina, cornea, and pediatric ophthalmology. Moreover, the inclusion of optometric perspectives and family-inclusive programming reflected a broader understanding of clinician needs and collaborative care models. As ophthalmology continues to evolve technologically and clinically, forums such as the EnVision Summit provide essential platforms to disseminate new evidence, cultivate professional networks, and prepare clinicians to translate emerging science into patient-centered care.