Scott LaBorwit, MD, chair of the medical advisory board for Vision Innovation Partners, associate professor at Wilmer Eye Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and president and founder of Select Eye Care, discusses the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in ophthalmology practice. Although AI has already been integrated into various aspects of health care, its full potential remains largely untapped. This interview is part of a broader series of discussions about how various technologies have impacted ophthalmology, as part of a celebration of the 30^th anniversary of Ophthalmology Management. The below transcript has been edited for clarity.

Hi, I'm Dr. Scott LaBorwit. I'm chair of our medical advisory board for Vision Innovation Partners. I'm in practice in the Maryland area, and I'm also an associate professor at the Wilmer Eye Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Artificial intelligence has arrived, but wait ‘til you see the ride you're about to go on. It's been embedded in a lot of parts of what we do, but we've just barely seen the tip of the iceberg. And many of us don't really realize the impact it can have or will have in our future practice. You'll see an acceleration timeline wise of how things change. You’ve got to be a little careful because sometimes it's a buzzword; there's a lot of marketing around it. We have AI, but what is it really? I'd encourage you to take the time to learn about large language models and how you can leverage the data to synthesize ways to do machine learning and predictive modeling.

These all sound like things that seem out of reach, but spending some time to understand that will allow you to find needs that you have to leverage that technology. Many of the pathways that we have in our practice, for example, the cataract consult, we're going to leverage that technology to one, help them talk to our patients before they arrive. So we have the HPI and information on arrival, so there's less tech time. We'll also have questions embedded in there. So we'll understand, what is the chance that they do want a premium IOL or are they ready for cataract surgery to schedule? Even on the back end, if they can check in with our patients. You might not think patients are ready for that, but in studies done in Texas, it's already shown that patients are preferring a phone call and access to the technology.

One example is an AI tech called Dora,¹ which never gets tired. She talks to the patient as long as they want, and you can call her back at 2:00 in the morning. So these are just some examples of where AI will go, but it'll change the way you work. It'll allow you as a physician to spend more time looking patients in the eye and making clinical judgments, allow to build trust, and then to have a better connection in how you manage your patients' care.

A lot of doctors look at the AI tech and they say, "I want to make sure it's human enough." And what I don't think we realize is how in much of the work we do, how many of the conversations we have, we're the robot. I feel like I walk in on a consult sometime, and I pushed a button on my back and say the same thing about risks and trying to identify things.

So if we can leverage this technology to better connect with patients, I think it'll be a win for our patients, and it'll be a win for the way we work and job satisfaction. So good luck. Put your seatbelt on and make sure you learn about AI so you can enjoy the ride and not get dragged along.

Reference

1. NHS Oxford University Hospitals. AI assistant shows great promise in cataract care pathway. July 10, 2024. Accessed June 15, 2026. https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/news/articles/2102/