Haag-Streit announces winners of its ‘Slit Lamp Imaging Competition 2023’

We are delighted to release the results of our "Slit Lamp Imaging Competition 2023".

Pia Emilia Lohri, from Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Switzerland, was the competition’s overall winner. Her image, taken on the BX 900 slit lamp, displays a patient with dislocated intraocular lens. The image was selected for its overall execution.

Pia wins a top-of-the-range Nikon Z 6 II plus NIKKOR lenses and will have her work published in a leading ophthalmic journal.

Yang Zhang, of Beijing Tongren Hospital, China, takes the runner-up position. His image—of the exudative membrane connecting the anterior capsule to the cornea—was praised for its technical mastery. Yang wins an Apple Watch Ultra for his great work.

Katie Lachut-Yevich from VCU Health System, USA achieved third place. Her image, displaying a Morgagnian cataract, impressed the jury with its artistry. Katie takes the prize of a stylish Ona Brixton leather camera bag for her efforts.

With over 350 submissions from 18 countries, including USA, UEA, China, India, Mexico, and Australia, as well as representation all over Europe, the competition once again united ophthalmic photographers from around the world. Now in its fourth year, the competition also attracted the most image submissions so far, making it the most popular round of the contest to date.

The competition was judged by a panel of jurors that included Marc Curchod, professional photographer, Jesús Conejero, ophthalmologist, and Frank Wenger and Jacqui Kenyon, both of Haag-Streit.

Our jury narrowed down the entries to ten final images, ranking the top three to choose their overall winners. The other finalists (in no order) are:

• Beathan Halbert, NHS South Tyneside & Sunderland, UK—Epicapsular stars
• Carmen Rodrigues, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Switzerland—congenital cataract
• Dr. Samar Basak, DISHA Eye Hospitals, India—silicone oil adhered with the posterior capsule, behind the IOL
• Katie Lachut-Yevich, VCU Health System, USA—iris atrophy
• Pia Emilia Lohri, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Switzerland—prolene mattress sutures, Re-ppV with silicone oil for recurrent retinal detachment following contusion of the eyeball
• Timothy Costello, Kellogg Eye Center, USA—PFO bubbles
• Yang Zhang, Beijing Tongren Hospital, China—lotus surface opacity of intraocular lens

Many of the winning images were taken on the Haag-Streit slit lamp, which is tailor-made for ophthalmic photographers. Juror Frank Wenger commented: “On behalf of Haag-Streit, we are proud to discover that once again, the very best images were captured by our BX 900 slit lamp. Congratulations to all our entrants—we are inspired by your passion for this competition.”

For more information, and to see the top three images, visit our meet the winners page. To download high-resolution images of all top ten images, please visit our Wallpaper Collection page.