GOS 2026 Hackathon

Groups came together in Philadelphia to problem-solve, have thought-provoking conversations, and crowd-source solutions to Strengthen Eye Care in Eastern Caribbean States and Hack the Hackathon. See full prompts after winners.

Winner Prompt 1: Strengthening Eye Care in Eastern Caribbean States

Eye-Land Vision Program

Anthony Curione BS (United States), Carmen Balian MBBS,PHD (Canada), Gokulvasanth Deivasenathipathi MBBS (India), Katherine Leviste BS,COA (United States), Ligia Polanco (Guatemala) and Marie Michele Macaron MBBS (Lebanon)

Winner Prompt 2: Hack the Hackathon

Hacking the Hackathon

Anisa Prasad, BA (United States), Bhakti Panchal, MD (United States), Connor Alder (United States), Diana Morvey, MD (United States), Edinam Hutton-Mensah, MBCHB (Ghana), Scott Herrod, BS (United States), Sean Beck, BS (United States), and Shima Dehghani, MD (United States)

Prompt 1: Strengthening Eye Care in Eastern Caribbean States

Scenario:

The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) is working to strengthen access to high-quality, equitable eye care across its member states, starting with a focus on six independent island nations with a combined population of approximately 700,000 people:

Antigua and Barbuda
Commonwealth of Dominica
Grenada
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Delivering comprehensive eye care in the Eastern Caribbean presents unique challenges. The population is geographically dispersed across multiple islands, specialist eye care professionals are limited, and healthcare resources vary by country. At the same time, these shared challenges create an opportunity to develop an innovative regional model that improves access, quality, efficiency, and sustainability through collaboration.

Challenge:

You are a member of an OECS regional planning task force charged with developing a Regional Eye Health Strategic Plan to provide comprehensive, accessible, and sustainable eye care across the six participating countries.

Your team will use the accompanying data on eye health, demographics, and economic indicators to develop a practical strategy that addresses the region's current and future eye care needs.

Prompt 2: Hack the Hackathon

Scenario:

Since its second year, the Global Ophthalmology Summit (GOS) Hackathon has brought together clinicians, trainees, researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, and global health leaders to tackle complex challenges in eye care through rapid collaboration and creative thinking.

This year, the Hackathon enters an exciting new chapter. Rather than developing theoretical solutions, the GOS Hackathon is being redesigned to become a platform that launches and supports real-world global ophthalmology projects. Funding, mentorship, and organizational support now make it possible for ideas generated during the Hackathon to continue long after the Summit ends, creating meaningful and measurable impact around the world. To make this vision a reality, the Hackathon itself must evolve.

Challenge:

You are a member of the GOS Hackathon Redesign Task Force charged with reimagining the Hackathon as a sustainable innovation platform that transforms promising ideas into real-world global ophthalmology solutions. Your team will develop and present a practical, scalable, and financially sustainable approach that enables projects to be launched, implemented, and supported beyond the conference. Think boldly while ensuring your recommendations are feasible and designed to create lasting impact. The winning proposal will become the model for future GOS Hackathons, helping shape how collaborative innovation advances global eye care.