The perspectives of eye care professionals on the integration of artificial intelligence in eye care practices: A systematic review

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has recently been integrated into the health-care industry, including in optometry and ophthalmology. This systematic review assessed the opinions (i.e., perspectives, concerns, and degrees of acceptance) of eye care professionals regarding AI integration into eye care practices. The literature search was conducted using the PubMed and MEDLINE databases. A total of 780 related articles were identified. Among these articles, 304 duplicates were removed, 450 articles were excluded after reviewing the abstract, and 18 articles were excluded after reviewing the full text as these articles were not relevant and/or did not report surveys. The remaining eight included studies were assessed accordingly. Most ophthalmologists and optometrists had a positive perception toward incorporating AI into eye care practices, and these professionals shared that AI would effectively enhance clinical eye care practices. However, certain eye care professionals were concerned about the diagnostic accuracy of AI, the high implementation costs, privacy issues, and the quality of AI-integrated patient care. Several eye care professionals also expressed concerns that AI technology could eventually replace some of their major responsibilities in the practice, suggesting that stakeholders should essentially address these concerns and ensure that AI integration in eye care practices is implemented thoughtfully and ethically to maximize its benefits while preserving the quality of patient care. Nonetheless, this systematic review highlighted the predominantly positive attitude among eye care professionals toward AI integration into eye care practices, warranting further research and collaboration between AI developers and eye care professionals to effectively address the current challenges.