EnVision Summit 2026 takes on dry eye, refractive, glaucoma, and more

At this year’s EnVision Summit 2026, 3 interconnected themes – among others – were underscored in contemporary ophthalmic care: managing glaucoma while offering refractive options, integrating AI into cataract surgery, and optimizing dry eye treatment to support visual outcomes.

First, Larissa Camejo, MD, stressed that clinical decision-making in glaucoma is rarely “black and white.” The overarching goal is to enhance both quality of vision and quality of life. For glaucoma patients, ensuring control of intraocular pressure and preventing disease progression remains paramount. However, within those safety constraints, Camejo argued that glaucoma patients deserve similar refractive options to non-glaucoma patients. This includes advanced technology intraocular lenses (IOLs) such as toric lenses, presbyopia-correcting lenses, and extended depth of focus (EDOF) vs multifocal lenses. Quality of vision is framed as multidimensional—far beyond simple visual acuity. It encompasses contrast sensitivity, higher-order aberrations, dry eye disease, ocular surface integrity, tear film stability, processing speed, glaucoma severity, residual retinal ganglion cell reserve, and binocularity. Multifocal lenses may reduce contrast sensitivity compared to monofocal lenses, but the significance of this reduction is case-dependent and influenced by these other variables.

Second, Shemeema Sikder, MD, discussed the integration of AI along the entire cataract surgery workflow. AI can support preoperative calculations, intraoperative assessment, and postoperative outcomes tracking. While innovation is rapid, practical implementation often lags behind due to questions of performance, reliability, and accessibility within real clinical workflows. Her research specifically examines how AI can improve surgical skill, with the rationale that better technical proficiency should translate into improved patient outcomes. AI tools may help shorten learning curves, facilitate the adoption of new procedures, and support more efficient dissemination of advanced surgical techniques, ultimately aiming for a better patient experience.

Third, Cathleen McCabe, MD, highlights the importance of diagnosing and treating dry eye, particularly through careful eyelid analysis and use of powerful contemporary tools. Optimizing the ocular surface is presented as critical for patient comfort and for achieving the best possible visual results, tying back into the broader theme of holistic quality of vision in modern ophthalmic practice.