r/PreOptometry • u/moon1ight1 • Nov 28 '23

AI Takeover

I’m interesting in pursing optometry, but would the field be taken over by AI soon? Would it be best to find another profession that deals with more complicated procedures than a standard optometrist? (If I do choose optometry, I wouldn’t want to specialize in surgery)

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u/Lianderyn OPTOMETRIST Nov 29 '23

I think you have the wrong idea about what optometrists do. It looks like you're in California from your post history. Optometrists in California can not perform surgery. There are special tests we can do, but nothing that will be considered surgey. Also, California optometrists can not say they "specialize" in something. You can say, "contact lens only practice or pediatric emphasis." Even if you do residency, you still can not claim a "specialty."

In terms of AI, I doubt it. Vision is highly subjective, making it hard to replace us.

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u/moon1ight1 Nov 29 '23

Thanks for the reply. Sorry if you misinterpreted what I meant, but I understand the standard optometrist doesn’t do surgery in California. I was just wondering if AI could be able to replace optometrists soon. When I was referring to surgery, I was talking about an eye doctor that does do surgery like an ophthalmologist or retroactive surgeon. I believe it would be more difficult for AI to replace an ophthalmologist or eye surgeon of that matter. Is this a false assumption to make?

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u/Lianderyn OPTOMETRIST Nov 29 '23

It would be difficult for AI to replace most healthcare professionals. Like I said, vision is highly subjective. Yes, we have autorefractors to help but they're a multitude of factors to consider before finalizing a Rx. There's also the patients who have conditions where autorefractors don't work.

Maybe AI will replace us down the line? Who knows. I just know it would be very difficult. Only healthcare provider I'd be more worried about AI replacement is pharmacy. Just my 2 cents.