Leadership and Business Innovation: Ophthalmology Is Changing Fast. New Skills Can Help You Thrive

Technological, economic, and patient access pressures are transforming ophthalmic practice. In Europe—and especially the UK—ophthalmology services formerly provided primarily in public hospitals are shifting to high-volume private hubs, with cataract surgery leading the way, said Dr Paul Rosen.

The resulting economic, referral, and practice disruptions already challenge not just patient care but surgeon training, research, and employment. If anything, the trend will accelerate, said Dr Rosen, chairperson of the ESCRS Leadership and Business Innovation (LBI) Committee.

“Things will be different in the next 20 to 30 years,” he told EuroTimes. Services that could soon exit the hospital setting, along with its support for access and training, include treating macular degeneration and glaucoma management. “You may find things go full circle, so [today’s high-volume hubs] become the eye hospitals of the future.”

And that’s just the beginning.

Telehealth and artificial intelligence will profoundly affect every aspect of ophthalmic practice, from patient selection and counselling to diagnostics and treatment selection to follow-up and patient monitoring, reducing the need for in-clinic visits. Robotics may well transform surgery itself for younger surgeons, Dr Rosen noted.

“Ophthalmologists in the future may be more involved in business development and managing technicians rather than delivering services on the ground,” he predicted. Skill sets—including economic modelling, IT coding, engineering, and especially leadership and innovation—will be key to thriving.

“You not only have to excel in the clinical aspects of your work, but you have to be able to collaborate with the management in the organisation in which you are working,” said Dr Rosen, who took an MBA from the London Business School.

Yet these skills are not generally part of medical school or surgeon training. Helping ophthalmologists develop them is the goal of the ESCRS LBI programme at the 2023 ESCRS Congress in Vienna and the LBI weekend in Frankfurt, Germany (7–8 October).

Who owns ophthalmology?

Beyond enabling more and better patient care delivery in outpatient and office settings, the growing cost and income potential of technology-enabled ophthalmic practice drives investment from hospitals, surgeon partnerships, and private equity finance alike. Recognising the importance of this trend—and its profound implications for control of ophthalmology resources and patient care—an LBI event, “Who Owns Ophthalmology?” will feature for the first time at the ESCRS Main Symposium on Friday, 8 September, 17:00–19:00.

Dr Rosen, who will co-chair the symposium with Dr Michael Amon (Vienna, Austria), will explain private equity, how such investment affects clinical practice and training, how to value a practice, and alternative company structures.

LBI masterclass

All clinicians must learn to be master jugglers. No matter the clinical practice setting, they must master myriad skills, extending beyond training received in medical school, residency, and fellowships. In this interactive, day-long programme, ESCRS Consultant Kristine Morrill and a European panel will cover topics including “Finding the Hidden CEO,” “Managing Money,” “Ophthalmologists as Inventors,” and “Encouraging Creativity.”

“The panel members are in ophthalmology practice today, living it in the trenches, not just pontificating from on high. It will be an open exchange of ideas, not just lectures,” Morrill told

EuroTimes. The masterclass is Sunday, 10 September, 08:30–17:30.

LBI workshops

These workshops will feature eight one-hour presentations covering a wide range of topics, including “Business Skills for Young Ophthalmologists,” “Mastering the Art of Negotiation,” “Building and Developing Your Private Practice,” “Value-Based Healthcare,” “The Cost and Savings of Sustainability in Ophthalmology,” “Getting an Ophthalmological Business Back on Its Feet During Wartime,” and “Managing Patient Flow in a Busy Ophthalmological Practice.” The workshops will run Monday, 11 September, 09:00–18:00.

LBI weekend, Frankfurt, 7–8 October 2023

The weekend is an intensive two-day course featuring “Principles of Leadership and Innovation for Ophthalmologists” and “Practical Tools for Ophthalmologists in Planning and Managing Financial Resources and Creating Value” on Saturday, 7 October and Sunday, 8 October. In addition to presentations from key speakers, the programme will feature practical exercises—both individual and group—on developing leadership, innovation, and financial management skills.

LBI webinar, “Who Owns Ophthalmology?,” November 2023

This hour-long webinar will follow up on some of the key learnings from the Main Symposium held in Vienna and the LBI weekend in Frankfurt, continuing the educational programme.

Future initiatives

Additional programming, including a formal course on LBI and a young ophthalmologist mentorship programme, is in development.

Dr Rosen attributed the success of the LBI programme to its committee members: Dr Artemis Matsou (Greece), Dr Arthur Cummings (Ireland), Dr Sheraz Daya (UK), Dr Daniel Kook (Germany), Dr Guy Sallet (Belgium), Dr Pavel Stodulka (Czech Republic), and Dr Vincent Qin (Belgium).

Paul Rosen BSc, MB ChB, FRCS, FRCOphth, MBA is Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at the Oxford Eye Hospital, Oxford University Hospital Foundation Trust, UK, and was Head of Department from 1998 to 2004, and Clinical Director of the Specialist Surgery group from 2010 to 2016. phrosen@rocketmail.com

Tags: leadership