Three ophthalmologists from Australia and New Zealand have been ranked among the top in their field as part of a new-look 2025 Power List, each offering some bold predictions for the future of glaucoma.
Melbourne’s Professor Keith Martin, Sydney’s Professor Jonathan Crowston, and Auckland’s Professor Helen Danesh-Meyer featured in the annual list of the world’s top 50 ophthalmologists, compiled by The Ophthalmologist magazine.
To program aims to recognise the most inspirational and influential leaders in ophthalmology. Nominations were pared down by an international judging panel and this year divided into five categories – cataract and refractive, glaucoma, retina, research, and innovation.
The ANZ trio who made the 2025 Power List all featured in the glaucoma category.
Each were asked to make a bold prediction for the future of glaucoma treatment, and for advice they would give to their younger self.
Professor Keith Martin
Prof Martin, the Ringland Anderson Professor and head of ophthalmology and the University of Melbourne, and managing director at the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA), said one of the most exciting developments is progress towards treatments that directly protect and even regenerate retinal ganglion cells.
“We are moving beyond lowering eye pressure as the only treatment for glaucoma and into an era where we can target the disease at a cellular level based on a detailed understanding of individual genetic risk,” he said.
“I believe that within the next 20 years, we will develop treatments that can restore some vision in glaucoma. This will be achieved through a combination of neuroprotection, regenerative medicine, and advances in neural repair. Key breakthroughs will use technologies including gene and cell therapies, which will enable us to protect and replace lost retinal ganglion cells and promote optic nerve regeneration.”
He would tell his younger self “to be bold, stay curious, and never accept that vision loss in glaucoma is irreversible”.
“When I began my career, the prevailing wisdom was that retinal ganglion cells, once lost, could not be replaced. Today, we are proving that assumption wrong. The biggest advances in science often come from challenging long-held beliefs, and glaucoma is no exception,” he said.
Professor Jonathan Crowston
Prof Crowston, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Sydney, agreed neuroprotective treatments that increase optic nerve resilience are a real possibility.
“Such therapies will reduce the need for very low intraocular pressures (IOPs) in our most vulnerable glaucoma patients and thereby improve outcomes from current IOP lowering therapies,” he said.
He advised the sector to watch carefully to what is happening in the broader fields of neuroscience and ageing research and engage more deeply.
“This will elevate the prominence of glaucoma as an age-related neurodegenerative disease,” he said.
Professor Helen Danesh-Meyer
Prof Danesh-Meyer, the Sir William and Lady Stevenson Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Auckland, said that by 2040, glaucoma management will be transformed with precision medicine, AI-guided monitoring, and breakthrough therapies turning glaucoma into a preventable and highly manageable condition.
“Long-acting, implantable drug devices or nanotechnology-based eye drops will minimise patient adherence issues and ensure continuous IOP control,” she said.
“The future will see a shift towards less invasive procedures with fewer complications,
“Future treatments will shift focus beyond IOP reduction, targeting mitochondrial health, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and vascular dysregulation, which are increasingly recognised as key contributors to glaucoma progression.”
If given the chance, she would encourage her younger self to “be in it for the long game”, given glaucoma is a lifelong disease.
“Your work should be focused on long-term patient outcomes,” she said.
“Remember you and your patients are going to grow old together – this is a journey. Cherish the relationships and be their doctor beyond their glaucoma. Advocate for their overall well-being, not just their IOP.”
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