How the vision of a modern Czech eye clinic became reality

What is the definition of a leader? Economist Peter Drucker expressed it aptly: “Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things.” Perhaps it should be added: the right things that benefit people. And when that benefit involves care for their health, there’s no doubt that we’re talking about true leadership – a mission. Such a leader in the field of ophthalmology, even on an international scale, is undoubtedly Oční centrum Praha (Eye Centre Prague), which is celebrating a quarter of a century of existence by further expanding and improving the quality of its services. On this occasion, we speak with its leader – Director and Board Member Adam Janek.

A quarter of a century is enough to confirm the viability of your eye clinic’s philosophy. Let’s go back to the beginning – how did it all start?

Oční centrum Praha (Eye Centre Prague) was founded as one of the first private facilities with a narrow specialization in cataract surgery in the Czech Republic, because at that time there was a lack of such capacity in the healthcare sector. It was established by engineer Ján Kriška, who remains the majority shareholder today. From the very beginning, he drew on his experience from working in the US and promoted the idea that OCP should be different from other clinics. Our role model was the world-famous private eye clinics in the US, particularly their client-oriented, empathetic approach, treating the patient as a partner. I think that was what truly set us apart.

When did you join OCP?

In May 2011. Back then, my main responsibility was communication with external cooperating ophthalmologists. I’m grateful for that experience, because it helped me understand what we needed to do to earn their trust so that they would send their patients to us. About a year later, at the age of twenty-seven, I was given the chance to become director, which brought a new challenge – to earn the trust and respect of the team, including doctors, nurses and medical staff. It took two to three years to build a high-quality and cohesive team. To this day, that’s what I’m most proud of: that we’ve maintained such a team, even though it has grown tenfold. At the beginning, there were about nine of us. Today, there are more than ninety. And while back then we were facing a 70% staff turnover rate, today it’s almost zero, apart from maternity leaves or retirements, of course.

What do you think helped you win people over?

I may be very hard on them sometimes, but they know that I’m hardest on myself. They also know that I’m fair, that I say things openly and honestly, even when it might be uncomfortable in the moment. I think I earned their respect through a clear vision that I was able to explain to them and that is being fulfilled.

“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” (Drucker)

One of your first bold visions was during the COVID-19 pandemic: while others were putting their plans on hold, you started building a new clinic. And within a year, you opened it in these modern premises of the Port7 building in Prague’s Holešovice district, where we are sitting now. Even though energy uncertainties and rising inflation dangerously increased the original budget. Weren’t you worried at the time that it might not work out?

A popular Czech saying goes, “If you are afraid, don't go into the forest.” And I had the trust of our shareholders behind me. The truth is that the situation was extremely tense, as we faced obstacles we hadn’t anticipated at all at the beginning. At that time, there was no such thing as a stable business environment in our country. But it was another important step towards our dream, and that’s how we all felt about it. We expanded severalfold not only in capacity but also professionally and personally. Everything changed, except the fact that our focus remained on the Czech patient and our constant priority of improving the quality and accessibility of care.

Mediport, the modern facilities of the Primary Eye Care Centre – built within Eye Centre Prague at the Port7 building in Prague’s Holešovice – will welcome both young and adult patients in January 2026

This motto still guides you. In the meantime, you’ve embarked on another major stage – the creation of the Primary Eye Care Centre, which you’ll soon open on another floor of the Port7 building. What will this step bring in practice?

It will provide much-needed capacity for preventive eye care, which is lacking in our country. In addition to the existing 2,000 square meters, we will gain another 1,000 square meters dedicated to preventive and diagnostic care for both adults and children. We’ll have 18 new outpatient rooms, making it 30 in total, and we’ll also increase the number of operating theaters to five. This will allow us to have the entire spectrum of eye care under one roof, from prevention and diagnostics to surgery, for all age groups. This is what we were aiming for.

We are building our Primary Eye Care Centre on four basic pillars: availability of eye care, prevention, AI screening of chronic diseases and pediatric ophthalmology.

To be more specific, we aim to ensure that patients don’t wait longer than two to three weeks for an appointment and that care is available to all insured patients. Another point related to this is to encourage people to take responsibility for their prevention. Using AI screening, we can already detect diseases like macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy early, and more will follow in the future. As for pediatric ophthalmology, this is also an area where our healthcare system lacks capacity. And yet we’re now facing an epidemic of myopia among children. According to our survey, 200,000 children in the suffer from this condition!

“When I don’t have anything more to build, I won’t be here anymore,” says Adam Janek with a smile. He threw himself completely into the construction of the Primary Eye Care Centre

“One cannot manage change. One can only be ahead of it.” (Drucker)

It’s probably pointless to ask if you have further plans. So I will ask straight away – what are they? Where do you see further opportunities for growth?

Ophthalmology is one of the most beautiful and interesting medical fields, combining medical practice and everyday patient care with the latest technologies. That’s what makes it so fascinating, and it also requires constant growth. We want to keep up with the best in the world. But to focus on our near-term plans: by the end of this year, we plan to implement new technology that will take our existing digitalization to another level. Our priority remains increasing precision and flawlessness in digital diagnostic and surgical processes and data transmission. We also want to continue contributing to technological innovation and actively participating in clinical studies that advance the field of ophthalmology.

You know, fifteen years ago when I joined OCP, I couldn’t even imagine what our clinic looks like today – it would have been science fiction to me at the time. But after all the experience we’ve gained, I can now imagine anything – even the new things we’ll develop next. I know that growth has no limits, and that’s what keeps driving me forward and inspires me to think about new perspectives.

Adam Janek was interviewed by Jana Jenšíková
Photo credits: Eye Centre Prague