Walking the halls at Vision Expo West this year, it was impossible to miss the theme: AI. It wasn’t tucked away in a side session or a niche booth — it was front and center. Every corner of the exhibit floor, every panel, every hallway conversation seemed to circle back to artificial intelligence. From diagnostics to EHRs, from futuristic eyewear to everyday practice tools, AI has officially arrived in eye care.
Some of the most striking innovations came from outside our traditional space. Meta’s new AI glasses were announced, paired with a neural band designed to send signals directly to the brain. With this interface, you could silently control your glasses — no taps, no voice, just movement. The implication was clear: the line between device and user is blurring faster than most of us anticipated.
Equally compelling was “Live AI,” a concept where glasses become more than vision correction tools — they act as a cognitive partner. Imagine finishing a patient exam and your glasses reminding you to follow up on a test order, or gently prompting you about an outstanding task you’d otherwise try to remember at the end of a hectic clinic day. This isn’t science fiction anymore; it’s a very near reality.
The EHR world was also buzzing with AI. Several platforms positioned themselves as “AI-first.” The industry is not just layering features on top of legacy systems, but building from the ground up with automation, predictive analytics and natural language tools woven into their DNA. For clinicians, this could mean less clicking and more patient care. For administrators, it could mean streamlined billing, scheduling and compliance.
But here’s the paradox. While the energy at Vision Expo West made AI feel like it’s everywhere, the reality on the ground tells a different story. In my recent survey of eye care professionals (see chart), 62% said they have not used AI in their practice at all. Of those who have, the use cases remain relatively small in scope: 26% have dabbled with ChatGPT for letters or patient questions, 4% for billing and insurance, 4% for image interpretation and only 2% each for AI scribes or receptionist tools.
The data makes something clear: we are still in the earliest innings. Adoption hasn’t yet caught up with the hype. But that’s not a reason to sit back — it’s an opportunity.
As the three Os — optometry, ophthalmology, and optical — we need to engage with these technologies now. If we don’t, larger tech companies without an ocular focus will. They’ll leverage eye-based technology for their own ecosystems — whether for consumer health, behavioral data or systemic health monitoring — and we risk being left out of the workflow altogether. And we all know how critical the eye is, not only as a gateway to vision, but as a window into broader health. The stakes are higher than just convenience.
So, what’s the call to action? Start small. Use ChatGPT for that tricky patient letter. Try an AI-enabled scribe in your next clinic day. Test an AI image interpretation tool on a set of cases. These steps don’t require a full overhaul of your practice, but they will build familiarity and confidence. And, just as importantly, they will help ensure that eye care providers remain at the center of this transformation.
We don’t need to see the whole staircase to take the first step. But we do need to take that step — and the time to get going is now.
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