Eyes On Tomorrow

In our third World Sight Day special, Eyes on Tomorrow is joined by Kathleen Sherwin, the dynamic new President and CEO of Orbis International, who brings 25 years of experience in global health and development to this role.
Having visited Orbis programmes across 30 countries in just nine months, Kathleen has seen first-hand both the scale of the challenge and the opportunities to transform global eye care.
She shares her vision for tackling the rising tide of preventable sight loss: “We already know many of the solutions—now we need to scale them.”
We explore why eye health must move beyond the ophthalmology clinic and be recognised by governments as a driver of education, equality and economic prosperity; why sustainable change requires strong leadership at local, national and global levels; and how Orbis plans to work in partnership with governments to expand its impact around the world.
But expansion isn’t simply about reaching more countries. Kathleen explains why Orbis wants to go deeper in the countries where it already works, building comprehensive eye-care services across communities and strengthening local healthcare systems for the long term.
We hear about plans to increase Flying Eye Hospital missions, training more ophthalmologists, nurses and anaesthetists alongside long-term hospital-based programmes; and to expand Cybersight and its AI capabilities, democratising access to world-class ophthalmic education and clinical expertise wherever clinicians happen to be.
Kathleen also explains how the next generation of Women-Led Green Vision Centres could go far beyond eye care—integrating ophthalmic services with maternity and children’s healthcare, making it easier for women and their families to access multiple essential services closer to home.
And in countries affected by conflict, displacement and natural disasters, we discuss a different challenge: how Orbis can link humanitarian aid to its established programmes and local partnerships, providing an immediate response while strengthening rather than bypassing existing healthcare systems.
The solutions exist. The expertise exists. The challenge now is scale, integration and access.
This World Sight Day, Kathleen Sherwin joins Eyes on Tomorrow to share an ambitious vision for how Orbis can help deliver high-quality eye care to everyone, wherever they live.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit eyesontomorrow.substack.com/subscribe

From a three-year cataract wait to just six weeks — Ireland is rethinking how and where eye care is delivered.
In this episode of Eyes on Tomorrow, we’re joined by Aoife Doyle, Geraldine Comer, Eimear Henry and Bobby Tang to explore the rapidly evolving specialty of Medical Ophthalmology and the development of Integrated Eye Care teams across Ireland.
Led by Consultant Medical Ophthalmologists, these multidisciplinary teams bring together optometrists, orthoptists and other allied health professionals to deliver cataract, glaucoma, medical retina and paediatric eye care in the community closer to patients’ homes.
We hear how Medical Ophthalmology is developing into an exciting career pathway, with subspecialty fellowship-level training and consultant posts combining community eye care with specialist hospital clinics.
And the results are already impressive. In Galway, cataract waiting times have fallen from three years to just six weeks, while improved referral pathways mean 90% of patients referred now proceed to surgery.
We also explore the next frontier: glaucoma referral refinement, linking community optometrists directly with Integrated Eye Care teams.
Is this the blueprint for the future of community based ophthalmic care in Ireland?
Join us on Eyes on Tomorrow as we discover how a new model of eye care is moving expertise out of the hospital, into the community — and transforming the patient journey.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit eyesontomorrow.substack.com/subscribe

The word pioneer is often overused, but this month’s guest on Eyes on Tomorrow genuinely deserves the title.
Sheraz Daya, Chairman and Medical Director of Centre for Sight, has spent his career pushing the boundaries of cataract, corneal and refractive surgery.
His remarkable journey has taken him from Dar es Salaam to Dublin, Belfast to Brooklyn, Minnesota to East Grinstead — and along the way he has helped shape modern refractive surgery.
Sheraz performed the UK’s first LASIK procedure in 1994, introduced femtosecond laser technology to the UK in 2004, pioneered advances in corneal transplantation and stem cell therapy, and founded the American-European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery.
In this episode, Sheraz tells us about the trials and tribulations of being an early LASIK adopter, gives us his views on FLACS, explains the transformational potential of stem cell transplantation, and explores the technologies that continue to push the boundaries of refractive surgery.
And in our Bonus Episode for subscribers…Sheraz looks to the future.
Could robot-assisted cataract surgery become a reality? Do we need a more patient-friendly way of describing IOLs? What are the latest developments in implantable contact lens surgery? And what is he hoping to achieve with Infinite Medical Ventures?
Plus, after a career at the forefront of refractive surgery, Sheraz generously shares his top tips for anyone thinking of setting up a refractive surgical practice.
A career spent challenging convention and embracing innovation.
Get access to bonus episodes, along with a host of CPD resources, when you subscribe for only £25 per year at https://eyesontomorrow.substack.com/subscribe
Thanks to Topcon Healthcare and Thea UK for supporting Eyes on Tomorrow.
Produced by Matt Hill at Rethink Audio.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit eyesontomorrow.substack.com/subscribe

For our August Summer Special, we’ve gone back through six months of Eyes on Tomorrow conversations to bring you some of our favourite moments — the ones that made us think, made us laugh, and occasionally caught us completely off guard.
This episode is split into three themes:
Forks in the Road - the chance meetings and unexpected turns that shaped our guests’ careers. Including how a £20 LinkedIn Premium subscription helped set Pearse Keane on the path toward AI in ophthalmology, and the weekend that nearly saw Keith Martin leave medicine altogether.
Eyes on the Future - our guests’ visions for where the specialty is heading, from oculomics to AI-assisted decision-making to robot-assisted cataract surgery.
Away from the Clinic - some of our favourite answers to the quirky questions we ask every guest at the end of the podcast.
Featuring conversations with Pearse Keane, Keith Martin, Dan Milea, Ramesh Kekunnaya, Uday Devgan, Bita Manzouri, Purvi Thomson and Elizabeth Lumb.
Three of our featured guests — Pearse Keane, Keith Martin and Dan Milea — were named on The Ophthalmologist Power List 2025, recognised for their influence and impact across Innovation, Glaucoma and Neuro-ophthalmology respectively.
Get access to bonus episodes, along with a host of CPD resources, when you subscribe for only £25 per year at https://eyesontomorrow.substack.com/subscribe
Thanks to Topcon Healthcare and Thea UK for supporting Eyes on Tomorrow.
Produced by Matt Hill at Rethink Audio.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit eyesontomorrow.substack.com/subscribe

How did the UK’s first pioneers of IPL treatment for dry eyes make their mark? In this episode of Eyes on Tomorrow, we’re joined by renowned optometrists Connan Tam and Minakshi Jain, who share the journey that took them from working at Moorfields Eye Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital to establishing one of the UK’s leading dedicated Dry Eye Centres.

We explore some of the most exciting developments in dry eye care, including:
* The emerging role of tear film biomarkers and their connection to ocular and systemic disease
* How their IPL and low-level light (LLL) treatment protocols continue to evolve
* Where punctal occlusion fits into modern management, including their experience with Lacrifill canalicular gel
Connan and Minakshi also discuss why continuous learning is essential to delivering the very latest evidence-based treatments for patients.
And in the bonus episode for subscribers, they provide a practical, step-by-step guide to building a successful dry eye practice—from getting started with limited resources to scaling your clinic—and share the lessons they’ve learned, the mistakes to avoid, and the strategies that have helped them overcome common challenges.
Whether you’re passionate about ocular surface disease or looking to grow your own dry eye service, this episode is packed with practical insights, clinical pearls, and real-world advice.
This episode also features additional support from Nordic Pharma.
Get access to bonus episodes, along with a host of CPD resources, when you subscribe for only £25 per year at https://eyesontomorrow.substack.com/subscribe
Thanks to Topcon Healthcare and Thea UK for supporting Eyes on Tomorrow.
Produced by Matt Hill at Rethink Audio.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit eyesontomorrow.substack.com/subscribe