The Eyesight Sessions - Miles Harper

Welcome to the Eyesight Sessions, a series focused on the people in the Ophthalmology and Eyecare markets. These interviews are designed to focus on leaders in the space; their journey, their influences, what they are currently working on and their passions outside of eyecare.

In this edition I spoke with Miles Harper of BEYEONICS? Vision to discuss the digital future of visualisation in ophthalmology, the positive impact of separating Vision and Surgical businesses at Beyeonics and whether using the BEYEONICS ONE may (or may not) improve your golf game.

Firstly, for those in my network who may not be familiar, can you give us a brief introduction to yourself and your role at Beyeonics Vision?

I’m Miles Harper and my current title is Vice President of Commercialization for Beyeonics Vision. We’re building out the commercial team here in the United States so all sales, service and marketing report to me. As we continue to gain traction with our digital microscope in the US, we’re beginning to ramp up efforts in other markets.

So Beyeonics have famously been known as the company that turned fighter pilot technology into an augmented reality surgical headset for eye surgeons, but can you tell us more about the Beyeonics One and what it brings to the market that other visualisation systems cannot?

The Beyeonics One is the first fully digital microscope on the market. Our parent company, Elbit Systems is the world leader in heads up displays for the aerospace/aviation industry. We leverage their heads-up technology designed for pilots from commercial airlines to military planes to give the surgeon the ability to control the device through head gestures via motion sensors built into the headset. It’s another level of control or sometimes we call it a ‘third hand’. Surgeons are accustomed to having two foot pedals, but now they can control things by moving their head, which offers them a bit more flexibility when it comes to the control of the device.

?We get asked all the time, why is digital different? There are other products on the market that claim to be digital, but the Beyeonics One is the only full digital microscope available today. –When the optics are based around a digital camera, you can do all kinds of things to augment the image: filters, digital enhancements, functional automations, etc. The digital zoom is different from a traditional microscope as well which allows for faster speeds and higher levels of magnification. ?Since there is not an objective lens, we are not limited to a fixed working distance, thus creating another area of flexibility for the surgeon. ??

The other thing I would say is the landmark of our digital system is that we are truly putting the surgeon at the centre of the ecosystem or the cockpit of the OR. They have the ability to control the entire device, not needing to rely on anyone else.? Patient and preoperative data can be available via virtual screens, similar to a gaming environment when wearing the headset.

Everything else in this world is going digital so why not surgical visualization? During a recent conversation with Jorge Calzada MD, who has extensive experience with digital visualization said, ‘we are at peak microscopy when it comes to optical microscopes’, “You can’t polish the microscope glass anymore and the digital camera technology is only going to get better”.

The Beyeonics One is a platform-based system. Think of your iPhone, you are able to get remote updates, new software, bug fixes, system improvements, etc. We have the ability to do service calls remotely, provide our customers with new features, train new users and troubleshoot remotely.? This allows our field to be more readily available and provide a faster response time to more customers simultaneously. While these are great new advantages it’s important to mention we recognize the personal in-person customer visits still play a vital role in our business.

The Beyeonics Group recently separated the Vision and Surgical businesses with Dr. Burton Tripathi taking over leadership of Beyeonics Vision as CEO. How exciting of a step for the company was this and what does it mean for the ophthalmology sector moving forward?

?It’s obviously an exciting time, the company is growing and now as a separate organization, Vision is focused solely on Ophthalmology whilst the surgical company works in the orthopaedic space. It’s a strategic decision that allows a greater organizational focus.

The Beyeonics Surgical team is not yet at a commercialization stage, it’s still an R&D project. Although they have begun the first human trials very recently so it’s exciting that both companies are moving forward.

Having Burton Tripathi come onboard is a tremendous step forward, he’s got a ton of experience in the space. He understands the digital platform, knows the market and is highly respected in the marketplace. Burton is getting the team to focus on the core competency of our digital visualization.

This allows us to consolidate resources and narrow down what the R&D team is prioritizing. Together with feedback from our initial customer base we’re able to select the best system advancements to help drive our strategic Objectives.? We’re just about to release some exciting new features to the Beyeonics product and Burton has been the catalyst in that.

?Focusing on your background, you came to Beyeonics with extensive experience in surgical ophthalmology and visualization. Can you tell us more about your first experiences in the eyecare space and how your journey brought you to your current role?

?I started as a sales rep in southern California for a medical distributor called JTec Surgical, Inc. We carried all sort of products across ENT, spine, neurosurgery and of course ophthalmology.? It was a tremendous learning experience, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I had to get into the medical device field. After 6 years I went to work for ZEISS Medical Technology as a product / sales manager supporting 90 distributor sales reps across the country in ophthalmology for surgical microscopy. That was a lot of fun and allowed me to get out of my southern California bubble and be exposed to the entire US market working with ophthalmologists nationwide.

?I worked with the R&D/Product teams at Zeiss and learnt a lot about the evolution of the Zeiss microscopes. The role also exposed me to all the leading teaching institutions, the national level of meetings and how tight the ophthalmic community is across the US, and globally of course.

?I saw BEYEONICS? Vision at one of the large conferences and because of the digital frontier that I mentioned earlier was instantly intrigued. I was introduced to the Beyeonics team by a couple of surgeons that I trust and here I am 4 years later. The surgical microscope has been around for 100+ years but it hasn’t changed much in the last 30 years, so I saw this as a nice paradigm shift and something I wanted to be a part of.? It’s been a wild ride so far and I’m excited about what’s in store for us next here at Beyeonics.

One thing I find from connecting to the ophthalmology industry is that many love it and stay in the space for many years due to the people, it's a very close-knit community. So, who in the industry has had the biggest impact or influences on your career so far?

Ophthalmology is an amazing network and there are many great people I could name here. If I veto pick only one person, it would be Dennis Federle – he knows more about surgical microscopy than anyone else I’ve ever met. He was my first mentor and a great guide when it came to working at Zeiss.? Dennis is a no BS guy, worked really hard and is highly respected by those that know him. The thing that impressed me most is when he walked into an OR and was talking to a physician, he commanded such a presence: their focus, intent, they listened to every word.

?He also probably has one of the best “radio voices” in the industry and maybe that’s why his was listened too so intently. He has since retired, but still dabbles in some side projects here and there but yes, he taught me a lot and we still talk every couple of months. Dennis is a true and genuine human being that I will always have the utmost respect for.

?Any advice that you would pass on to people who are early in their ophthalmic career?

?I think one of the most important things is ‘two ears, one mouth’. People want to talk a lot, but listening is a skill that is highly underrated. Listening well and paying attention to what the customer is trying to say, especially in the sales type roles.

?And networking. It’s a small community so meet and surround yourself with as many successful people as you can. Talk to them, understand their experiences. We all have an idea of what we think we want to do with our career but there is so much space and opportunity.

?Listen and network would be my two simple pieces of advice.

?Outside of Beyeonics, are there any areas of ophthalmology where the innovation is exciting you? Any companies or devices that you think people should watch out for?

?Of course I’m biased and think the visualisation space is pretty exciting right now, but ophthalmology in general the changes within the pharmaceutical space is advancing so quickly: anti VEGF, GA drugs, gene therapy. Most of the science is above my knowledge level, but the diseases are so prevalent and having drugs that give physicians additional tools to combat them is fascinating to watch be developed from the outside. I’m always trying to learn and pay attention because those are the things that potentially impact a patient’s life right away and that is truly amazing.

For people who don’t know you, who is Miles outside of ophthalmology? Where would we find you outside of work? Any interesting hobbies?

?The obvious answer is spending time with my family. A lot of us in these roles are road warriors and spend many nights away from home. ?

?Sport wise – hockey and golf. I did a funny marketing piece wearing the Beyeonics headset at the driving range. It came to me as a good way to show product features outside the OR. It did work, and was actually a pretty good shot.

?Yes, I love playing golf, it’s a nice way to get outside.? I’m currently on a quest to play as many of the top ranked courses in the US as I can, if you have a connection let me know ??

?When I first got into medical sales, I thought doctors like to golf and I’d be able to get out on the course with them a couple times a week but it never happened. They are so busy, and we are too so that was a flaw in the business dream right there

If you weren't working in the eyecare space, then what would you be doing?

?At this point in my career, I can’t imagine not being involved in eyecare.? However, if I was to dive into something completely different, I would say Real Estate Investing.? I’ve always enjoyed the business of Real Estate and think it’s a fantastic way to invest into your future.?

Where is the best place that your career in eyecare has taken you? Any favourite trips, conferences or events?

The ophthalmology meetings are in the most amazing places. I’ve always enjoyed the smaller conferences because they are more intimate, and you can typically get to know folks on a better level. The schedules are always so packed though and sometimes all you see of a city is the hotel lobby and the convention centre.

I always enjoy ASRS, although I missed it this year in Stockholm. VBS, the Vit-Buckle Society which is very educational and always in great locations is historically a fun meeting. Overall some of the best locations Ophthalmology has taken me to visit are: Vienna, Amsterdam, Israel and Vail.

Huge thanks to Miles for his time and insights. If you are in Chicago for AAO then make sure to stop by and see the tech for yourself as well as hear about the new application updates for Beyeonics One

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