Alain Saad

A gifted corneal surgeon, along with his colleague Damien Gatinel, Saad developed an artificial intelligence system for the detection of ectasia-susceptible eyes; the SCORE analyzer. A reviewer and editor for several ophthalmology journals, he has over 30 publications to his name. His research interests include corneal ectasias, corneal topography and tomography, wavefront biomechanics and new keratoplasty techniques.

Saad was recently appointed to the “future leaders” subcommittee and the international council of the International Society of Refractive Surgery. His honors and awards include two best paper awards at the annual meeting of the AAO and “surgeon of the month” from the International Society of Refractive Surgery.
His top career tip? “I was once told: don’t choose a job, choose a boss! Damien Gatinel’s mentorship has been a great opportunity, and working with him has been a rare privilege and a true asset to my career.”

A nominator said: “He is not only a skillful and experienced surgeon for his young age, but also publishing a significant number of papers and working on some incredible projects. He will definitely be one of the top guys 10 years down the road.”

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