About

Mission

To connect entrepreneurs, investors, businesses and ophthalmologists to advance ophthalmic innovation

Goals

Accelerate ophthalmic innovation to benefit patients
Educate business executives, entrepreneurs, ophthalmologists and their teams
Connect entrepreneurs and investors
Build a collegial and transparent conference culture
Support major ophthalmic societies and innovators and give back to the community

Partners

Ophthovation is a partnership between the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) and Gil Kliman, MD.

American Academy of Ophthalmology

The Academy is the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons. A global community of 32,000 medical doctors, it protects sight and empowers lives by setting the standards for ophthalmic education and advocating for patients and the public. The Academy innovates to advance the profession and to ensure the delivery of the highest-quality eye care. Through its EyeSmart® articles on AAO.org, the Academy provides the public with the most trusted information about eye health. For more information, visit aao.org.

ASCRS (American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery)

ASCRS is an international educational society with nearly 8,000 ophthalmic surgeons at every career stage. Its mission is to empower anterior segment surgeons to improve the vision, outcomes and quality of life for their patients through innovative approaches to education, advocacy and philanthropy. For more information, visit ascrs.org.

Gil Kliman, MD

Managing Partner, InterWest Partners

As a leader of InterWest’s Life Sciences investment team, Dr. Kliman invests in a broad array of healthcare opportunities, with a special interest in ophthalmology, robotics and digital health. He is a current board member of Doximity and Orbis International, and was a lead investor and board member at Avedro (NASDAQ:AVDR), Glaukos (NYSE:GKOS), LenSx (acquired by Alcon), IntraLase (NASDAQ:ILSE, acquired by AMO), Epocrates (NASDAQ:EPOC, acquired by Athena Health), and GoCheck (private).

Previously, he helped to launch the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit (OIS), an ophthalmology business conference that he co-chaired from 2010 to 2018.

A former practicing ophthalmologist, Dr. Kliman completed an ophthalmology residency at Wills Eye Institute and a retina fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary as a Heed fellow. He has a BA from Harvard University, an MD from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Stanford University.

Board

David W. Parke II, MD

Chief Executive Officer, American Academy of Ophthalmology

David W. Parke II, MD, leads the world’s largest ophthalmology organization, with 30,000 members and offices in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. It is the principal source of educational materials and programs for ophthalmologists as well as the profession’s voice from Washington, D.C., to the World Health Organization.

Dr. Parke served for 17 years as president and CEO of the Dean McGee Eye Institute and Edward L. Gaylord professor and chair of the department of ophthalmology in the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. A practicing ophthalmologist with subspecialty focus in retina/vitreous, Dr. Parke served as president of the Academy in 2008.

Steven Speares

Executive Director, ASCRS

Steve Speares, an accomplished ophthalmology executive, has led ASCRS since 2018. His expansive career has been squarely focused on ophthalmology, including serving as vice president, Europe and Middle East, with Glaukos, focusing on sales, operations, market access challenges and emerging technology. He also served in a variety of positions with Alcon, including marketing ad sales, personnel development, regulatory, education and training.