Dr. Boyer is a world-renowned clinician, surgeon and educator. He is the founder of Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group with six locations in Southern California. He received a BS from the University of Illinois at Champaign, after which he completed a medical degree at the Chicago Medical School. In 1976 he finished his residency at U.S.C. County Medical Center’s Doheny Eye Institute. A year-long retinal surgery fellowship at the Wills Eye Hospital, located in Philadelphia, completed his training. He is currently a leading investigator for various national clinical trials on retinal diseases and serves as an advisor for multiple research, educational and charitable institutions.

Dr. Campochiaro was trained at the University of Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the University of Virginia, and Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, joining the Wilmer Faculty in 1991. He is currently the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Professor of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience at the Wilmer Eye Institute. His major research interests are in gaining a greater understanding of the roles of peptide growth and trophic factors in the retina and retinal pigmented-epithelium with an ultimate goal of developing new treatments for proliferative retinopathies, choroidal neovascularization, and retinal degenerations. Dr. Campochiaro is a distinguished member of numerous societies, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Macula Society, Retina Society, International Society for Eye Research.

Dr. Heier is director of the Vitreoretinal Service at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston, and Co-director of the Vitreoretinal Fellowship. He is the secretary of online education for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the past president of the Center for Eye Research and Education in Boston, MA. Dr. Heier is one of the leading retinal clinical researchers in the country for new treatments in exudative and non-exudative macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, venous occlusive disease, vitreoretinal surgical techniques and instrumentation, and diagnostic imaging of the retina. He serves on scientific advisory boards or as clinical design consultant to over twenty biotechnical or pharmaceutical companies, lectures nationally and internationally on retinal research and the innovative approach to the treatment of retinal diseases, and has authored numerous works in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Heier received his medical degree from Boston University, then did his transitional internship and ophthalmology residency at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. Between his internship and residency, Dr. Heier served as a physician in a Combat Support Hospital in the Persian Gulf War, for which he was awarded a Bronze Star. Dr. Heier then completed a vitreoretinal fellowship at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston/Tufts University School of Medicine.

Staff member of the vitreoretinal faculty of the Cole Eye Institute in the Department of Ophthalmology at Cleveland Clinic and Founding Director of the Digital Optical Coherence Tomography Reading Center (DOCTR) at the Cole Eye Institute.

Peter K. Kaiser, MD graduated magna cum laude with Highest Honors from Harvard College and magna cum laude from Harvard Medical School. He completed an internal medicine internship at Massachusetts General Hospital, an ophthalmology residency at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and a vitreoretinal fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute before joining the vitreoretinal department of the Cole Eye Institute at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio where he is the Chaney Family Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology Research at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.

As a National Eye Institute and National Institute of Health RO1-funded principle investigator, Dr. Kaiser leads a team involved in the evaluation of vascular biology in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR). In addition, Dr Kaiser is actively involved in clinical research having served as study chairman for numerous major, multi-center, international clinical trials, and principal investigator in over 60 trials evaluating new treatments for AMD, DR, and other retinal disorders. He is the founder and director of the Digital Optical Coherence Tomography Reading Center (DOCTR), which is the OCT reading center for over 700 international sites and 45 multi-center, clinical trials. Dr. Kaiser has been honored to receive the Lew R. Wasserman Award from the Research to Prevent Blindness for his research. Complementing his research endeavors, Dr. Kaiser serves on numerous scientific advisory boards and addresses his research interests as an invited speaker at national and international conferences. He is a major contributor to the medical literature having authored 7 textbooks, 25 book chapters, and more than 250 peer-reviewed manuscripts. He is Editor-in-Chief of Retinal Physician, Associate Editor of International Ophthalmology Clinics, and serves on the editorial boards of American Journal of Ophthalmology, Retina, Retina Today, and Ocular Surgery News. Dr. Kaiser has been recognized by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Society of Retina Specialists with Achievement and Senior Achievement Awards, and has been listed as one of the “Best Doctors in America” since 2002. He is the team ophthalmologist for the Cleveland Browns (National Football League) and Cleveland Cavaliers (National Basketball Association).

Dr. Kornfield, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology, is an expert in polymer physics, including the physical properties of ocular tissues (cornea, sclera, vitreous), tissue engineering and drug delivery. She has won numerous awards, including the John N. Dillon Medal of the American Physical Society, and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is a co-founder of RxSight, Inc. (formerly Calhoun Vision), and led the development of the material with the speed, clarity and sensitivity to enable clinically relevant adjustment of the light adjustable lens (LAL). She is a co-founder of Visdex Corporation and has led the in vitro studies of efficacy, drug delivery and irradiation for therapeutic cross-linking of the cornea and sclera using eosin Y and visible light.

After completing his PhD in neuroscience at the California Institute of Technology, Dr. Kuppermann went on to earn an MD degree at the University of Miami. He interned at LA County/USC Medical Center and did his residency in ophthalmology at USC’s Doheny Eye Institute. Dr. Kuppermann then went on to complete fellowships in retina at both St. Joseph’s in Baltimore Maryland, and at the University of California, San Diego. Following his fellowships, Dr. Kuppermann came to UCI and has been on faculty since 1992. Currently, he is the Roger F. Steinert Professor, Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, and Director of the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute at UCI.

Dr. Kuppermann is the principal investigator at UCI for several multicenter national trials evaluating new drugs and devices for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and the ocular complications of AIDS. He is the national and international lead investigator for several of these trials. His primary area of research is drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eye, with special attention to the pharmacokinetics of the posterior segment. He has also developed models for viral retinal infections as well as for retinal angiogenesis and his research on these models using time-release therapeutic agents may lead to new methods for the treatment of potentially blinding infections. In addition, Dr. Kuppermann has extensive research collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, serving as an advisor with a goal of bringing new treatments to patients for a variety of retinal diseases.

Dr Kuppermann is listed as one of the best doctors in America, and for the last several years in a row has been named as the “Best Ophthalmologist in Orange County” by Orange Coast Magazine. Dr. Kuppermann is a peer reviewer for the American Journal of Ophthalmology, Archives of Ophthalmology, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Ophthalmology, Retina, Journal of Infectious Diseases, Lancet, and the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Dr. Hugo Quiroz-Mercado is a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity as the Director of Ophthalmology Service at Denver Health Medical Center. With over 25 years of practice experience, Dr. Mercado has held previous appointments as Director of the Retina Department and Chief of the Experimental Surgery Laboratory at Luis Sanchez Hospital for the Prevention of Blindness, as well as a professor of ophthalmology at the Facultad de Medicine Universidad Autonoma de Mexico. He specializes in treating patients with severe retinopathy and helping them cope with the impending complications.

Dr. Mercado completed his medical degree at Facultad de Medicine Universidad Nacional Automa de Mexico, and completed his postgraduate residency at Luis Sanchez Hospital for the Prevention of Blindness in Mexico City. Dr. Mercado then furthered his training by completing fellowships in Vitreo-Retinal Diseases at APEC in Mexico City and Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston.

Eric Donnenfeld, MD was a resident and Chief Resident at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital and he completed a cornea fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital in 1985. He is a trustee of Dartmouth Medical School and a clinical professor of ophthalmology at NYU. He has written over 200 peer review papers on cornea, external disease, cataract and refractive surgery, and 40 book chapters and books. He is on the editorial board of 9 journals and has participated in over 60 FDA studies. He was a primary investigator for both the excimer laser and femtosecond laser for cataract surgery. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and has received its Honor Award, Senior Honor Award, Life Time Achievement Award, and Secretariat Award.

Dr. Donnenfeld is a National Medical Director of TLC laser centers and Surgical Director of the Lions Eye Bank for Long Island. Dr. Donnenfeld served as president of many professional societies including the Nassau Surgical Society, cornea section of ASCRS, the Ophthalmology Division of the Nassau Academy of Medicine, and the International Ocular Microbiology and Immunology Group. He is the past president of ASCRS and is in the presidential succession line for the International Intraocular Implant Society. Dr. Donnenfeld is the editor-in-chief of EyeWorld.

Edward J. Holland, MD is the Director of Cornea Services at Cincinnati Eye Institute and Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Cincinnati. He attended the Loyola-Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago and trained in ophthalmology at the University of Minnesota. He completed a fellowship in cornea and external disease at the University of Iowa, and then completed a second fellowship in ocular immunology at the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He returned to serve as Director of Cornea and Refractive Surgery Service at the University of Minnesota. He was promoted to the position of professor and was granted the Elias Potter Lyon Chair in Ophthalmology. He also served as President of the Minnesota Academy of Ophthalmology.

Dr. Holland formerly served as the President for the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery from 2011-2012. He was also a member of the Executive Committee and now serves as the Program Chair. Dr. Holland was a former member of the Board of Trustees for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He has also served on numerous committees and as the Secretariat of the Annual Meeting for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He was awarded the Life Achievement Honor Award at the 2012 American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting. Dr. Holland has served as the Chair of the Eye Bank Association and was the former Chair of the Medical Advisory Board for the Eye Bank Association of America. He is the past President of the Cornea Society and previously served many years on its Board of Directors.

Dr. Holland has received numerous national and international awards including the Castroviejo Award from the Cornea Society in 2013. He has received both the Senior Achievement Award and The Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He was awarded the Binkhorst Medal by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery in 2008. He was a recipient of the 2002 Paton Society Award given by the Eye Bank Association of America. Dr. Holland was awarded the Asian Cornea Foundation Medal of Honor in 2016.

Among other honors, Dr. Holland has been listed in the “Best Doctors in America.” He has a national and international reputation for his knowledge and expertise in the field of cornea and external disease. He is frequently invited to give lectures both nationally and internationally. Dr. Holland has published extensively in both basic and clinical research and is the author of over 270 articles in peer review journals. Dr. Holland was the co-principal investigator of the Cornea Donor Study, the largest clinical trial ever conducted in the field of cornea. He has co-edited four editions of Cornea, the most widely read textbook on corneal disease and surgery.

As the Director of Cornea Services at the Cincinnati Eye Institute and Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Holland has attracted worldwide referrals for medical and surgical corneal problems and for stem cell transplantation. His clinical interests include corneal transplantation, ocular surface transplantation, ocular trauma and cataract surgery.

Dr. Lindstrom is the founder and attending surgeon at Minnesota Eye Consultants, Adjunct Clinic Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota Department of Ophthalmology and visiting professor at the UC Irvine Gavin Herbert Eye Institute. He is a board-certified ophthalmologist and internationally recognized leader in corneal, cataract, refractive, glaucoma and laser surgery. He has been at the forefront of ophthalmology’s evolutionary changes throughout his career, as a recognized researcher, teacher, inventor, writer, lecturer and highly acclaimed physician and surgeon.

After graduating Magna Cum Laude from the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Lindstrom completed his doctorate degree in medicine in 1972. He conducted research, residency and fellowship training in cornea at the University of Minnesota and affiliated hospitals and extended his anterior segment surgery fellowship training at Mary Shiels Hospital in Dallas followed by a Heed Fellowship in Glaucoma at University Hospital in Salt Lake City. From July 1979 to May 1980, Dr. Lindstrom was in private practice with Quinn-Harris-Lindstrom Ophthalmology Center in Dallas Texas and, from July 1979 to May 1980, he was Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas Texas. In 1980, Dr. Lindstrom returned to the University of Minnesota, where he spent ten years on the faculty of the Department of Ophthalmology, the last two as a full professor and the Harold G. Scheie Research Chair. He continues as Adjunct Clinical Professor Emeritus and a Trustee for the University of Minnesota Foundation. He entered private practice in 1989 and has helped lead the growth and expansion of Minnesota Eye Consultants having served as managing partner for 15 years. He is chief medical editor of the USA and International editions of Ocular Surgery News, which reaches 82,000 ophthalmologists worldwide.

Dr. Lindstrom served as President (2007-2008) of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS); he later served as chair of the ASCRS Foundation for 6 years and continues to serve on the ASCRS Executive Committee and its Foundation. He has also served as president of the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the International Intraocular Implant Club, and the International Refractive Surgery Club.

He has served for 25 years as chairman and CEO of Lindstrom Cleaning and Construction, a three-generation family business. He has endowed funds supporting the University of Minnesota Department of Ophthalmology, the Eye Bank Association of America, and the University of Minnesota Tennis Team.

Dr. Lindstrom has been awarded over 40 patents in ophthalmology and has developed a number of corneal preservation solutions, intraocular lenses, drugs, devices, and instruments that are used in clinical practices globally. He serves on the Boards of Directors of Lindstrom Restoration, Minnesota Eye Consultants, TearLab, Ocular Therapeutix, Imprimis, Refractec, AcuFocus, Lentechs, LENSAR, CorneaGen, SURFACE, Combangio, LAGRANDE, MDbackline, ForSight#6, IICayr, Equinox, Visionary Ventures, and Flying L Ventures. Previously, he served on the Boards of Directors of the following acquired companies: Eyeonics, Advanced Vision Science, Midwest Surgical Services, Laserboyz, Citation Ventures, LVCI Vision, VisionCorrection, TLC Vision, Sightpath, Onpoint Medical Diagnostics, Vision Twenty-One, Occulogix, ianTech, and Wavetec. Dr. Lindstrom is a Trustee of the following non-profit entities: The University of Minnesota Foundation, InnerCityTennis, the ASCRS Executive committee and its Foundation Board, and The International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

A frequent lecturer throughout the world on cornea, cataract, glaucoma, laser, and refractive surgery, he has presented over 40 named lectures and keynote speeches before professional societies in the U.S. and abroad, more recently giving the Kelman Lecture at the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Castroviejo Lecture at the Cornea Society, the Barraquer Lecture at ISRS, the Worst Medal Lecture at IIIC, and the Binkhorst and Innovator Lectures as ASCRS. Internationally, he has delivered, among others, the Blumenthal Memorial lecture in Jerusalem, Israel, the Benedetto Strampelli Medal Lecture in Rome, Italy, and the Albrecht von Garefe-Vorlesung Innovator’s Lecture in Nurenberg, Germany.

Dr. Lindstrom serves on a number of journal editorial boards, including JCRS and JRS. He is the Honorary Editor-in-Chief of the U.S./Chinese Journal of Ophthalmology. He has co-edited seven books, published over 350 peer reviewed journal articles and 60 book chapters. His professional affiliations are extensive.

He is the recipient of numerous awards for distinguished service by national and international ophthalmology associations, including the LANS, Barraquer and the first lifetime achievement award from the International Society of Refractive Surgery in October 1995 and was honored with a second lifetime achievement award in October 2002, the Binkhorst and Kelman Lecture Award from the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the Bausch + Lomb Lifetime Achievement Award in April 2005, and the Paton Award and NACT Award from the Eye Bank Association of America.

Dr. Lindstrom lives in Minneapolis on the shores of Lake Minnetonka with his wife Jaci and has two children and 5 grandchildren.