From AI-assisted OCT analysis to systems that refine referrals, algorithms and decision support tools are increasingly shaping optometry. 

These technologies are changing optometry by speeding up the gathering and analysis of patient data and potentially supporting more informed, evidence-based decision-making. 

Based on interviews with ophthalmologists, some practitioners see clinical AI tools as a useful second opinion, flagging details that may otherwise be overlooked (Schaffernak et al, 2025).

However, concerns around the influence of AI revolve around issues such as misinformation and bias. The Schaffernak study cited an example of an ophthalmologist describing occasions when clinicians had to override an AI system because it failed to recognise disease in an atypical presentation and advised against treatment.