By Business & Finance 
Aideen Curtin is the CEO at Progressive Vision, a multidisciplinary private eye clinic with locations in Sandyford and Swords, Dublin. Known for a patient-focused approach, Progressive Vision offers comprehensive eye care services, including innovative office-based surgery for cataract removal, and treatments for glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, dry eye syndrome, and paediatric ophthalmology.
What are your main priorities and goals in your role?
My top priority is ensuring that our patients receive excellent, innovative, and compassionate eyecare. I focus on strategic growth, clinical excellence, and nurturing a culture that prioritises kindness and integrity. With our recent expansion to Swords, a major goal has been improving community access to high-quality ophthalmology services for north Dublin and the surrounding counties.
What are your biggest challenges as CEO?
Balancing operational excellence with rapid growth can be challenging. We’re expanding services while ensuring each patient receives individualised care.
How do you keep your team/ staff motivated?
By listening. Creating an environment where people feel valued, supported, and connected to our mission is key. I prioritise open communication and celebrating the wins, both big and small. We’ve embraced the Great Place to Work (GPTW) framework to strengthen our culture and ensure every team member feels heard and appreciated.
What are the challenges facing the industry going forward?
We’re seeing rising demand for specialist eye care, particularly as our population is growing and aging with limited capacity across public systems. The challenge will be delivering timely eyecare while managing resource shortages and maintaining high standards.
What new trends are emerging in your industry?
One of the most significant trends in ophthalmology is the shift toward office-based surgery – bringing procedures like cataract surgery out of hospitals and into dedicated surgical suites within community based clinics. This offers patients a more personalised, and efficient experience, with faster recovery times and less stress. Other key trends include the growing use of AI and advanced imaging for earlier diagnosis and personalised treatment planning, along with a greater focus on patient-centred care, delivering not just clinical excellence, but also compassion and accessibility in every interaction.
Are there any major changes you would like to see in your sector?
I’d like to see more investment in community-based care, where diagnostics and treatments can be delivered in local, patient-friendly settings. Eye surgery doesn’t always require a hospital visit. With the right infrastructure, we can deliver more efficient, non-fragmented eye care closer to home.
As an employer are you finding any skill gaps in the market?
There is a shortage of highly trained ophthalmic nurses and eye technicians, which can make recruitment competitive. We’ve responded by investing in internal training and career development to build skills within our team.
How did your strategy develop in the context of the banking crisis and economic crisis?
That period taught us the value of resilience, and staying close to our core mission. We focused on building a reputation for excellence and trust, knowing that consistent patient care would carry us through uncertainty.
How has the COVID-19 crisis affected your business/sector?
The pandemic significantly disrupted access to hospital-based eye care, particularly for older patients who needed urgent treatments like sight-saving injections but were understandably fearful of attending hospitals. In response, we opened our Sandyford clinic during the height of COVID-19 to ensure patients could continue receiving essential eye care in a safer, more controlled environment. It was a bold move at the time, but one that allowed us to meet patient needs with minimal disruption and maximum reassurance.
How do you define success and what drives you to succeed?
Success means knowing we’ve positively impacted someone’s life. I’m driven by a passion to ensure we consistently provide excellence in patient focused eye care, and a desire to build a lasting, values-led organisation.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given in business?
“Trust your instincts and don’t let fear stop you from doing something that you believe is needed.”
What advice would you give to others starting out in business?
Be brave and lead with kindness. Starting a business takes courage and hard work; there will be risks, setbacks, and moments of doubt, but staying focused and true to your values will help.
What have been your highlights in business over the past year?
Opening our new clinic in Swords was a landmark moment. It allowed us to introduce Ireland’s first office-based cataract surgery model in a community setting, a major innovation in eye care. Seeing the positive response from patients and staff has been incredibly rewarding.
What’s next for your company?
We’ll continue expanding our services. We’re also exploring new technologies that can enhance early diagnosis and improve patient outcomes.
Where do you want your business/brand to be this time next year?
I’d like to see Progressive Vision recognised as the go-to private eye care provider in Ireland; not just for our clinical expertise, but for the genuine kindness and care that defines every patient experience.
What is the best book you’ve ever read (non-business) and why?
A book I enjoyed recently was Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. It’s the story of a female chemist working in a Californian research institute in the 1960s and the unpredictable turns her life takes. The combination of dry humour and science set against a backdrop of the inequality and sexism of that time makes it an absorbing read today.
What is your favourite hobby and why?
Hobbies have taken a back seat for the last few years, but I love to relax by walking my dogs and family holidays are precious and non-negotiable.
What is your mantra for life?
Don’t look back, be optimistic in the present, and dream about the future.
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