CEO Update – January 2026

January 20, 2026

A Message from Bernie Iliakis, President & CEO of CorneaGen 

As we reflect on 2025, I am deeply grateful for the dedication of our team and surgeon partners, whose efforts helped restore sight through 39,000+ surgeries made possible by the precious gift of donated tissue. This achievement represents not only tens of thousands of lives transformed, but also families and communities strengthened. 

It was also the first full year of Cornea Tissue Addition Keratoplasty (CTAK), and the momentum has been remarkable: more than 1,500 procedures to date, 130 surgeons performing CTAK, and adoption expanding beyond the U.S. to Japan, Canada and Saudi Arabia. CTAK’s technology, using the Hersh/Greenstein/Gelles nomogram, has quickly become the most innovative solution for keratoconus treatment. If you perform CTAK , we invite you to join our CTAK User Forum for peer support, best practices and shared insights. 

Looking ahead to 2026, many more countries are actively onboarding CTAK into their practice, and CorneaGen remains focused on effective training, data-driven and surgeon insights, and streamlined logistics to ensure consistent outcomes at scale. Our mission is clear: deliver reliable access to high-quality tissue and technologies that simplify care and maximize impact. None of this is possible without our partners and the broader corneal care community, so thank you for your unwavering commitment to sight restoration. 

As CEO, I often review numbers, but I never lose sight of the human impact behind them. The ripple effect of our work means that not only did we collectively contribute to brighter futures for a record 39,000+ individuals last year through ocular tissue transplant, but we also made an indelible impact on their families and broader communities. Every procedure represents a story: a mother seeing her child’s first steps, a professional returning to the work they love, a neighbor re-engaging with their community. These are the moments that inspire us to keep charging forward.   

Expanding Our Impact in the Gulf Coast 

I’m proud to announce that last month CorneaGen formally joined forces with Lions Eye Bank of Texas at Baylor College of Medicine, marking the next step in an eight-year collaborative relationship. This acquisition strengthens our presence on the Gulf Coast and nationwide, combining their local expertise with CorneaGen’s national infrastructure to deliver greater efficiencies and high-quality ocular tissue, innovative products, and comprehensive services to more surgeons and patients. We are thrilled to have their team on board and the collective impact we will make in 2026! 

Let’s Connect in 2026 

We hope to connect with you again soon. Our team is currently at Hawaiian Eye and Retina Meeting and will also be at the ASCRS Annual Meeting in in Washington, D.C. We’d love the opportunity to meet up and share more about how our tissue products and services can benefit our partners. 

If you’re near or visiting Orlando, South San Francisco or Seattle, we invite you to stop by our newly expanded/remodeled spaces with state-of-the-art labs designed to ensure every tissue is processed with precision and care. Last year, we nearly doubled our footprints in both Orlando and South San Francisco to continue to scale our work to meet the pressing demand of our customers. 

Please reach out to tissue@corneagen.com if you’d like to set up a tour or meet up at an upcoming conference.  

Reflecting on 30 Years in Eye Banking 

I recently shared more about CorneaGen’s work and my 30-year eye banking journey with Ophthalmology Management for their Industry Insider feature. When asked about the most rewarding part of my career, it was hands down: the people – our team, surgeons, researchers, donors and recipients. Take a peek at the interview, which also highlights how this work became very personal to me. 

Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we’re building a future where sight restoration is accessible, outcomes are predictable, and every patient can see what’s possible. Here’s to transforming even more lives in 2026!