AI in ophthalmology at ASCRS 2026: What the Washington DC meeting is signalling about the specialty’s technology future

Artificial intelligence arrived at the centre stage of American ophthalmology on Saturday, April 11, when the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery held its 2026 Annual Meeting Main Stage session at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington DC. The Cornelius D. Binkhorst, MD, Lecture, one of the most prestigious keynote slots in US anterior segment surgery, was delivered by Kerry D. Solomon, MD, under the title “Artificial Intelligence and Ophthalmology: Where Are We? Where Are We Going? And How Do We Get There Responsibly?” The choice of AI as the subject of the Binkhorst Lecture, a platform historically reserved for foundational clinical science, reflects how far the technology has moved from peripheral novelty to mainstream specialty concern in a short period. For anyone tracking the commercial and scientific trajectory of ophthalmic surgery, the signals coming out of Washington DC this week are worth reading closely.

What is Kerry Solomon’s Binkhorst Lecture and why did it focus on artificial intelligence in ophthalmology?

The Binkhorst Lecture is named after Cornelius D. Binkhorst, the Dutch ophthalmologist whose work on intraocular lens implantation helped establish the scientific foundation of modern cataract surgery. ASCRS has awarded the lecture annually since 1975, and the invitation is widely regarded as a career-defining honour in the specialty. Solomon, who serves as Chief Medical Officer at US Eye and Medical Director at Carolina Eyecare Physicians, and holds an appointment as Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the Medical University of South Carolina, brought a specific qualification to the AI topic that other lecturers might not. He is co-inventor and co-founder, alongside partners Jeremiah Elliot and Kyle Smith, of the Veracity Surgical Planner, now commercialised by Zeiss, which launched in 2017 and is considered one of the first AI-powered tools deployed in clinical ophthalmology. His framing of the lecture around responsibility as well as capability signals that the specialty’s leadership is moving past the initial enthusiasm phase and into a more structured conversation about governance, validation, and clinical accountability for algorithmic tools.

How is AI currently being used in cataract and refractive surgery, and what has changed recently?

The most established AI application in anterior segment surgery is IOL power calculation, where machine learning models are now competing directly with traditional vergence-formula approaches that dominated the field for decades. Research published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology in early 2026 compared nine AI-based IOL calculation formulas in highly myopic eyes, finding that Pearl-DGS, Hill-RBF 3.0, Kane, and Hoffer QST performed comparably well in eyes with axial length above 26 millimetres. A separate study evaluating the Zeiss AI IOL Calculator found it outperformed the BUII and Kane formulas, with particularly strong results in short eyes, achieving a higher percentage of eyes within 0.5 dioptres of the predicted error. These are not incremental improvements in an already settled field. Refractive surprises after cataract surgery remain a source of patient dissatisfaction and revision surgery, and even marginal improvements in IOL calculation accuracy carry meaningful clinical and economic consequences for practices operating at high surgical volume.

Zeiss brought that clinical research directly into its ASCRS 2026 exhibit floor presence, showcasing enhancements to the IOLMaster 700 including a new Kane Suite, an upgraded Barrett Suite with additional formulas, and the integration of the Zeiss AI IOL Calculator for post-laser vision correction patients into its VERACITY Surgery Planner. These additions are specifically targeting complex cases, including toric IOL calculations and patients who have previously undergone LASIK or PRK, where traditional biometry formulas have historically struggled most. The commercial logic is straightforward: as refractive cataract surgery and the premium IOL market continue to grow, the practices adopting the most accurate planning tools will have a competitive advantage in outcomes and patient satisfaction scores.

What new AI technologies are being showcased at ASCRS 2026 beyond surgical planning?

The AI conversation at the 2026 meeting is not confined to the operating theatre. Zeiss launched VisioGen at ASCRS, a patient engagement platform that combines AI with human clinical oversight to allow ophthalmology practices to respond to patient inquiries around the clock without relying on autonomous AI alone. The system integrates with clinic websites to capture patient interest outside business hours and guide prospective patients toward scheduling evaluations. The practical context for this launch is the intensifying competition for premium cataract and refractive surgery patients in a market where private equity-consolidated practices are investing heavily in digital patient acquisition. A tool that can manage initial patient contact at scale while keeping a human compliance layer in place addresses a genuine operational gap for independent and group practices.

The ASCRS/AGS Joint Symposium during Glaucoma Day on April 10 also examined AI’s impact on glaucoma diagnosis and monitoring, extending the AI thread across all four subspecialty tracks at the meeting. The “Judicial Innovations” session during Refractive Day specifically listed artificial intelligence alongside robotic surgery and pharmacologic treatments as one of the defining emerging forces in anterior segment surgery. ASCRS Digital Clinical Committee sessions in recent years have tracked the progression of AI from diagnostic support tools toward integration with surgical planning, surgical execution, and postoperative monitoring, and the 2026 programme reflects that broadening scope.

What did Sean Ianchulev preview about his Kelman Innovator’s Lecture scheduled for Sunday April 12?

While Saturday at the Main Stage belonged to Solomon’s Binkhorst Lecture, the AI and innovation thread continues on Sunday when Sean Ianchulev, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology at New York Eye and Ear of Mount Sinai, delivers the Charles D. Kelman, MD, Innovator’s Lecture. Ianchulev has said he plans to reveal three new technologies during his presentation, describing them as categorical innovations representing entirely new product categories rather than incremental upgrades. He has been involved in the development of the first robotic eye surgical system deployed in humans and has described both robotics and AI as technologies that will have transformational impact on the specialty. His lecture is framed around the path from ideation to actual commercialisation, a topic he says is rarely taught formally in medical training, making it relevant not only to surgeons interested in AI but to anyone in the specialty thinking about how clinical innovations reach patients.

Ianchulev’s lecture is scheduled for Sunday, April 12, on the ASCRS Main Stage alongside the ASCRS Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, Lecture, which will be delivered by David F. Chang, MD, on the topic of preventing endophthalmitis based on current evidence. The pairing of a forward-looking innovation lecture with a rigorously evidence-based clinical safety talk in the same Main Stage session reflects ASCRS’s current positioning: embracing the frontier of AI and robotics while continuing to anchor the specialty in disciplined, outcomes-based medicine.

What does the AI focus at ASCRS 2026 mean for the broader ophthalmology technology market?

The concentration of AI-related content across the Binkhorst Lecture, the Kelman Lecture, the exhibit hall launches by Zeiss, the Refractive Day subspecialty programme, and the Glaucoma Day joint symposium represents something more than coincidence. It reflects a specialty-wide recognition that AI integration has passed the pilot phase and is now a commercial and clinical imperative for practices competing on outcomes and efficiency. For medical technology investors, the ASCRS platform serves as a leading indicator of where device and software spend is heading in the ophthalmology sector. The companies receiving the most floor traffic and generating the most pre-meeting press releases in Washington DC this week are those with credible AI stories to tell alongside their hardware offerings.

The regulatory dimension is also becoming more active. The SightLine business session on April 9 included a panel discussion specifically focused on the FDA and its evolving posture toward ophthalmic technology, with panellists from the pharmaceutical and policy sectors discussing the commercial and regulatory implications of bringing novel AI-driven tools to market. ASCRS Government Relations Director Mark Cribben moderated a separate session on the future of Medicare under fiscal pressure, which connects directly to the reimbursement question that ultimately governs the pace at which new AI tools can be adopted at scale across US ophthalmic practices.

The overall message from Washington DC this week is that AI in ophthalmology is no longer a speculative topic for conference symposia. It is a commercial, clinical, and regulatory reality that is reshaping how anterior segment surgeons plan operations, engage patients, bill for services, and advocate in Washington. The question the specialty is now debating, as Solomon framed it in the Binkhorst Lecture title, is not whether to adopt AI but how to do so responsibly.