Imaging the Future
Presenting the winners of the Haag-Streit Slit Lamp Imaging Competition
Alun Evans | | 5 min read | News
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.
Image caption: Dislocated intraocular lens by Pia Emilia Lohri, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Switzerland
First place:
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
Image caption: Exudative membrane connecting the anterior capsule to the cornea by Yang Zhang, Beijing Tongren Hospital, China
Second place:
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
Image caption: Morgagnian cataract by Katie Lachut-Yevich, VCU Health System, USA
Third place:
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
Finalists (in no particular order):
Image caption: Dislodged intraocular lens by Beathan Halbert, NHS South Tyneside & Sunderland, UK
Image caption: Congenital cataract by Carmen Rodrigues, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Switzerland
Image caption: Silicone oil adhered with the posterior capsule, behind the IOL by Samar Basak, DISHA Eye Hospitals, India
Image caption: Iris atrophy by Katie Lachut-Yevich, VCU Health System, USA
Image caption: Prolene mattress sutures, Re-ppV with silicone oil for recurrent retinal detachment following contusion of the eyeball by Pia Emilia Lohri, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Switzerland
Image caption: PFO bubbles by Timothy Costello, Kellogg Eye Center, USA
Image caption: Lotus surface opacity of intraocular lens by Yang Zhang, Beijing Tongren Hospital, China
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
Coming from a creative writing background, I have a great interest in fusing original, narrative-driven concepts with informative, educational content. Working at The Ophthalmologist allows me to connect with the great minds working in the field of contemporary eye care, and explore the human element involved in their scientific breakthroughs.
