Simon Jones: Putting the genie back in the bottle – Optician Online

I never used to think of artificial intelligence (AI) as a threat to optometry, but as it continues to advance, I’m increasingly worried about what the future looks like.  

Now, by Moneo’s definition this week, that way of thinking makes me myopic. I’d prefer to describe myself as cautious when it comes to AI, because it has caught many industries napping. Industries that are normally ahead of the curve when it comes to societal and technological shifts.  

For the record, I don’t consider optometry or its regulatory bodies around the world to have been blessed with great foresight. Technology has long been a blind spot.   

The positive aspects of AI in optometry are undoubtedly clear. Screening schemes, post-op monitoring and enhanced clinical image analysis are just a few examples of how AI will help ‘free up’ the optometrist’s time.   

But what happens with that newly found time?  In a lot of cases, they’ll simply see more patients, as more footfall means more revenue. This will ease the pressure of undersupply on the workforce, which, depending on who you ask, is currently not big enough. In the UK, routes into the optometric workforce are increasing all the time, with more universities and now an optometry apprenticeship looming on the horizon. The sector is preparing for the wrong future, and it might be too late to change course.   

Some optometry commentators like to refer to ethics when it comes to AI. It’s a fair point to make, but patient privacy, bias within data sets and clinical decision-making won’t matter if the genie is already out of the bottle – and the cork has nearly popped.  

Moneo says we need to create a vision for what the role of the optometrist will look like in the future. I’d say we need to think more radically and create a framework for how AI can be used by the profession in the short term and then more dynamic legislation to regulate use in the longer term.