The annual Haag-Streit Slit Lamp Imaging Competition announced its official 2023 winners last week. Now in its fourth year, the competition draws entries from practicing eye care professionals from all around the world. The winning images were selected by a panel of four judges: Marc Curchod, a retired professional photographer who worked previously at the Jules Gonin Ophthalmic Hospital in Lausanne; Jesús Conejero, an ophthalmologist at the Hospital de Mérida, Spain; Frank Wenger, Head of Product Management for Haag-Streit’s General Diagnostics division; and Jacqui Kenyon, Product and Market Manager for Reliance and Haag Streit Diagnostics (USA).
The competition received over 350 submissions from 18 countries, including Mexico, India, China, UEA, and Australia, making it the most popular round of the contest to date.
Below, we share the top three winning images, as well as the seven other shortlisted finalists.
Juror’s comments:
“While not the most difficult image to capture, the execution is simply perfect.”
– Frank Wenger
“This image transcends beyond the purely ophthalmological. The quality of its illumination and definition achieves an outstanding aesthetic and artistic result.”
– Jesús Conejero
“This image appears almost too simple, but it demonstrates mastery of the back illumination technique with a correctly sized slit, placed in the right place. There is virtually no reflection, and the clean lines of the IOL provide a quality artistic effect.”
– Marc Curchod
Juror’s comments:
“This is a picture that is technically difficult to capture. The photographer did an amazing job.”
– Frank Wenger
“A challenging image to capture, that impresses you the longer you look at it.”
– Jacqui Kenyon
“Our second-placed winner demonstrates mastery of the slit, as our eye is immediately drawn to the vitreous flange. The reflections are minimal and not noticeable.”
– Marc Curchod
Juror’s comments:
“The correct execution and illumination of this case achieves, in addition to the intended clinical information, an almost ethereal artistic result.”
– Jesús Conejero
“The artistic factor is, quite simply, amazing.”
– Frank Wenger
A perfectly executed image. Simplicity is everything.”
– Jacqui Kenyon
If you feel inspired by these images, why not enter next year’s competition? It re-opens in spring 2024, and you can keep updated with the details by following Haag-Streit’s various social media channels.
And if you are considering entering the 2024 competition, it’s worth bearing this advice from juror Marc Curchod in mind: “Be demanding of yourself, look for the best framing, and think that each photo is publishable.”
This article first appeared in The New Optometrist
