Optometric Insights Media
#202 The OI Show - Eye Doctor to Entrepreneur With Dr. Rob Sambursky
Jul 21, 2026
Dr. Dave Kading & Dr. Mile Brujic
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Rob Sambursky, MD, has more than 25 years of experience spanning the life sciences industry and clinical medicine. He is a fellowship-trained cornea specialist and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of DefEYE, Inc..
Prior to joining DefEYE, Dr. Sambursky was one of the original founders of RPS Diagnostics and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of both RPS Diagnostics and Lumos Diagnostics. He led Lumos Diagnostics through its initial
public offering on the Australian Securities Exchange. In addition, he was a founder and Executive Chairman of Visus Therapeutics . Throughout his executive leadership roles, Dr. Sambursky also served as acting Chief Medical Officer for RPS Diagnostics, Lumos Diagnostics, and DefEYE.
Dr. Sambursky currently serves as a strategic advisor to Tenpoint Therapeutics and is Board Chair of Advanced Ophthalmics, Inc. and Sustained Drug Delivery, Inc. He has extensive scientific and clinical expertise in ophthalmology, infectious disease, and medical sciences, and has served as an advisory board consultant to numerous ophthalmic therapeutic companies. Dr. Sambursky has authored dozens of patents and scientific publications, conceived a novel point-of-care diagnostic platform, and served as the clinical and regulatory lead supporting multiple international regulatory clearances and U.S. FDA 510(k) clearances with CLIA-waived designations. He has also played a key role in the successful commercialization of multiple diagnostic products in the United States and internationally.
Dr. Sambursky is a practicing, board-certified ophthalmologist with fellowship training in corneal, external, and infectious disease. He earned a BA in Biology from Brown University, an MA in Medical Sciences with concentrations in biochemistry and microbiology from Boston University, and an MD from Boston University School of Medicine. He completed his medical internship at Mount Auburn Hospital, affiliated with Harvard Medical School, and completed both his ophthalmology residency and cornea fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital, where he also served as Co-Chief Resident.