Artificial Intelligence Program Reaches Standing-Room-Only Audience at Vision Expo

LAS VEGAS – Eye care professionals overflowed the room at the Venetian Resort during Vision Expo West for “The Artificial Intelligence Revolution: Practical Applications in Eye Care Today” hosted by Jobson on Sept. 18, 2024. They attended to learn from the experts what A.I. technologies are already available for ECPs and how they are revolutionizing eye care now and will continue to do so into the future.

The event was sponsored by founding sponsors Advancing Eyecare, Alcon, EssilorLuxottica, and Topcon Healthcare; and supporting sponsors Barti, CSI Dry Eye Software, Dr. Contact Lens, and Neurolens.

The content of the event was chaired by Scot Morris, OD, Chief Development Officer and CEO of Augmented Medical Intelligence, who introduced the audience to “the future” of A.I. in eye care. He curated a team of leaders in the field who spoke on the following topics:

• “What is A.I., Really? by Dr. Masoud Nafey, OD, MBA, FAAO, Founder of MENT AI
• “It’s About the Data: The Need to Know” by Dr. Dena Weitzman, OD, FAAO, Director of Medical Affairs, Digital Diagnostics
• “The Augmentation of Clinical Care” by Dr. Rehan Ahmed, MD, Board-certified Ophthalmologist, Greater Houston Eye Consultants, and Chief Medical Officer, Blink by Globe Biomedical
• “Unlocking Efficiency: Leveraging A.I. Tools for Operational Efficiency” by Easy Anyama, Chief Information Officer, FluoreSCENE Media, and Founder, ODX Health
• “The Evolution of Sales, Marketing, and Education” by Dr. Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO, Diplomate, AAO and FNAP, President and CEO, New England College of Optometry
• “Democratizing Screening & Diagnostics with A.I.” by Sunny Virmani, Group Product Manager, Google Health A.I.

Among the highlights, the audience was entertained by an avatar of Dr. Purcell on screen having a conversation with the live Dr. Purcell in real time. He conversed with his digital self and even took questions from the audience that the avatar was actually able to answer.

In addition, the audience was amazed by a video presented by Dr. Ahmed showing a robot performing cataract surgery, autonomously removing the cataract and inserting the IOL. This is the future of eye care.

Also, Google Health A.I. was represented by Sunny Virmani, who explained how Google’s research highlights the potential of A.I to detect diseases such as diabetic retinopathy from retinal images. Google’s use of A.I is democratizing health care by enabling early disease detection and empowering individuals to take charge of their health regardless of location or socioeconomic status. 

The two-and-a-half hour presentation was as packed with information as the standing-room only crowd was with people. All presenters agreed with the prediction, “Eye care professionals will not be replaced by A.I., but they will be replaced by ECPs who use A.I.” The future is now, and artificial intelligence is here to stay. In the words of program chair Dr. Morris, “Will you capitalize on the power of technology and adapt and adopt . . . or resist, reject, and regret?!”

To learn more and to download a proceedings piece from the event, click here: “The Artificial Intelligence Revolution: Practical Applications in Eye Care Today.”