Hopefully, you are now all well aware that our next issue will be devoted to the “Top 40 Under 40” Power List, featuring the younger generation of personalities and pioneers that will lead our field down a bright and forward-thinking path. (Don’t worry, the Top 100 Power List will return in 2016!)
It was clear from last year’s Power List that it’s not just ophthalmologists that drive our field – in other words, you don’t have to have a MD to make a difference. Research scientists, epidemiologists, pharma executives, venture capitalists all found a place on the list because of the huge contributions they have made to ophthalmology over the years. Why not run another Top 100 list again this year? Instead of focusing on the past, we want to try to imagine the world of ophthalmology to come. What will our field look like in 10, 20 or 30 years? Just consider how much it has changed in the past 30. Consider the world today: the simple equation of ‘aging baby boomers’ + ‘age-related eye disease’ = ‘incredible number of patients in need’. Will that number go down? Unlikely. In fact, I suspect there’ll be far more in need of help in just a decade’s time... It should come as no surprise that there is huge interest in the future – getting it right is incredibly important. The level of anticipation/trepidation is demonstrated by the popularity of events like the Ophthalmology Futures Forum and the Ophthalmology Innovations Summit; many big names (a fair few from the 2014 Power List) attend to present or listen – typically both.
We feel that it’s extremely important to cheer the work of the young ophthalmologists, researchers and businesspeople who will fully shoulder the responsibilities of tomorrow. After all, these are the people who are already stepping up to the task – the people who are already researching, innovating, and forging a route through the growing challenges being stacked in front of them. If you have already submitted a nomination for the “Top 40 Under 40” Power List, many thanks! If not, there’s still time: please visit top.txp.to/PowerList2015 to thank the younger generation for all the hard work they’ve done so far, while pausing to consider all that they will face in the coming decades.
