Justis Ehlers

Ehlers specializes in diagnosing and managing medical and surgical vitreoretinal diseases, with his laboratory work focusing on translational intraoperative OCT technology, with a particular focus on microscope integration, OCT-compatible surgical instruments, and pathology-specific software algorithms.

He is Associate Editor of the British Journal of Ophthalmology, a member of the AAO Knowledge Base Retina Subspecialty committee and Ophthalmic Technology Assessment committees, and has received several awards, including the AAO Achievement Award and several Cleveland Clinic Innovator Awards.

A nominator said: “Justis tested and optimized a prototype operating microscope integrated OCT system allowing for real-time OCT-based visualization of intraocular maneuvers. Complementing the use of intraoperative OCT, he is currently developing novel OCT-friendly surgical instrumentation. A major contributor to the medical literature with over 50 original reports, book chapters, and abstracts; he currently serves as a scientific reviewer for numerous ophthalmic journals and has served as an associate editor of Retina, and he was also the co-chief editor of the Wills Eye Manual, 5th Edition, one of the best-selling texts in ophthalmology.”

Part of the Power List 2015

In 2014, we compiled a list of the Top 100 most influential people in ophthalmology – an endeavor that received a significant amount of attention and, it’s fair to say, caused more than a little controversy. For our 2015 Top 40 Under 40 list we’ve taken a different approach, asking: who are the young, up-and-coming individuals set to rise to the top of their field? That’s the question we posed to ourselves – and then to you – ahead of open nominations and a painstaking judging process. Our list this year almost halves the average age of the celebrated individuals, with many of them born in the same year as the iconic Sex Pistols cover – 1977. Though we admit that no list of this type can be definitive, it does clearly show that the future of ophthalmology is very bright indeed. And so, without further ado, we celebrate the movers and shakers aged 40 or under who show what can be achieved with determination, passion and inspiration.

Go to The Power List 2015