Presidents Ponderings

What do we fear? We don’t like to admit it, but for considerable time now, we have all managed fears on a professional and personal level. Just remember the early days of COVID. Looking back, we all didn’t know what we should be doing — we washed our groceries in a two-step process before household entry, or at least I did. So now here we are, two long years later. Like never before though, all of us stepped up, adapted and changed. While that might have been scary, we succeeded. In the schools and colleges of optometry, every day was marked by a new policy or adaption — in teaching, in patient care, everything. While living with this uncertainty, the class of 2024 and 2025 joined us, and the class of 2020 and 2021 graduated and entered our great profession (soon to be 2022 as well).

What do we fear now? Dig deep — is the answer still…change? I have been asked a few times lately what I think the biggest concern facing optometry is in the next five to 10 years. In my opinion, the changes that emerging technology will introduce could be both an opportunity and perhaps something that creates strife. Where will we land? In discussions with companies that are stepping into the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) related to eyecare, one of the first things mentioned is that “the intent is not to remove the doctor from the equation.” That does beg the question, what is the intent? Access to care for those in rural communities, or who lack transportation or have mobility concerns is easy to understand. What about access for anyone who has internet or a cell phone? That certainly changes the equation.

We all know there are regulations in health care and that companies can perhaps interpret those rules in what we could call a calculated way. When viewing AI from the business side, venture capital is very willing to take a risk on emerging technology, so we can be sure AI isn’t going away. How academic optometry responds to what we commonly term “disruptive technology” will make all the difference in the next five to 10 years. Rather than shy away from AI, as educators and scholars, we could adopt what we have learned the last two years — with perseverance, we can navigate the future because change is OK. Most importantly, our profession is filled with resiliency, talent and intellect that will serve us well as we navigate the AI world. As you ponder this, take a look back at what has been accomplished in the last two years, and then take a look forward into optometric education’s future.