Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the field of optometry, ushering in a new era of enhanced diagnostics, streamlined workflows, and improved patient care. This overview delves into the numerous applications of AI in optometry, showcasing its potential to revolutionize the industry.
Early Detection and Accurate Diagnosis
AI’s ability to analyze vast amounts of data quickly and accurately is proving invaluable in detecting eye diseases. For example, FDA-approved AI systems are already on the market, analyzing Optical Coherence Tomography scans to detect signs of diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and many less-known and rare pathologies with accuracy rates exceeding 96%.
Early glaucoma risk evaluation
Millions risk irreversible vision loss due to undiagnosed glaucoma, underscoring the need for improved early detection. Optometrists do not usually have the technological ability to spot glaucoma before it’s too late, even though they are the ones who have a large population screened for eye diseases. Current tests often rely on observing changes over time, delaying treatment and hindering the identification of disease progression.
Artificial Intelligence in optometry offers insights into glaucoma detection by routinely analyzing the ganglion cell complex visible on OCT scans, measuring its thickness, and identifying any thinning or asymmetry to determine a patient’s glaucoma risk without additional clinician effort.
Streamlining Workflow and Reducing False Positive Referrals
Research reveals a notable inverse relationship between clinician experience and the frequency of false-positive referrals in optometry. This echoes findings in other medical fields, where diagnostic proficiency typically improves with experience. The challenge is amplified by optometrists often practicing in isolation, lacking the immediate professional support network available to their hospital-based counterparts.
Unlike colleagues in hospital settings who have ready access to peer consultation for other opinions or guidance, optometrists often face limited opportunities for collaborative decision-making and skill development. Worse than that, optometrists rarely have feedback on the patients they send to hospitals, removing the possibility of learning from peers.
AI can help identify pathologies at their earliest stages during routine visits and reduce false-positive referrals, saving patients and healthcare providers time and resources and providing second opinions on controversial scans for optometrists.
Enhancing Patient Care and Education
Patient-centered care, a key principle outlined by the Institute of Medicine, emphasizes patient education and involvement in decision-making. This is vital in eye care, where insufficient patient engagement can lead to irreversible blindness.
Research specifically targeting the ophthalmology patient population, which often includes older and potentially visually impaired individuals, reveals a clear preference for individualized education sessions and materials endorsed by their eye care provider. And AI is here to help, for example, by providing personalized reports that include color-coded visualizations of patients’ eyes. This easy-to-understand visual system empowers patients. They can see what’s happening within their eyes and track the progress of any conditions during treatment.
Additionally, the OCT reports with customized measurements and selected biomarkers, retinal layers, or segments allow a clinician to focus precisely on treatment monitoring and patient response to therapy. This personalized approach enhances clinical decision-making by highlighting each case’s most relevant information.