Eduardo C. Alfonso

About Eduardo C. Alfonso

Chair and Director, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Florida, USA

What is a little-known fact about you?

While completing my undergraduate degree at Yale, I was a crew team member at my residential college and learned that rowing is the ultimate team sport. Teamwork is the most important quality needed for success. If one person fails, everyone fails.  Collaboration, cooperation, and teamwork are all hallmarks of Bascom Palmer’s winning team.

How do you think AI and machine learning will impact ophthalmology?

Large datasets will become increasingly important as artificial intelligence and data science become integral to health care. This information will substantially aid disease predictions and contribute tremendously to clinical research and patient care.

What global trends in eye health should ophthalmologists be aware of?

Telemedicine, the continual improvement of intraocular lenses, gene therapy, extended reality for education and training, artificial intelligence for early diagnosing of eye disease, and the “moonshot” project of transplanting an eye.