It’s often said that when running a business, you should step back from the detail of the daily grind to take a look at the big picture.
In this issue we’re encouraging you to do exactly that with two fascinating, yet very different, lead articles – one on the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to change the landscape of global eye health, and the second on the importance of driving innovation and success by building diverse workplaces.
Associate Professor Peter van Wijngaarden’s article on AI provides a balanced analysis of where AI currently sits in the world of healthcare, its future potential and its limitations. As he points out, there is a long way to go before AI systems become ubiquitous in clinics, however medical professionals do need to keep an eye on this space. Data security, patient privacy and regulatory standards are some of the issues to be worked through. And then there’s the need for artificial empathy – AI systems with the capacity to detect and respond to human emotion.
While it’s easy to assume that the constant call for diversity in the workplace is all about giving everyone a fair go, it turns out there are tangible business benefits to be had as well. Research tells us that diverse perspectives lead to more indepth analysis, debate and innovation. However for diversity to work, we need to overcome our unconscious biases… but what are they? High performance behaviour and skills trainer Deb Assheton sets out the most common unconscious biases and suggests a process to help us overcome them so that we can embrace diverse workplaces and customer bases.
Elsewhere in this issue we have some short, sweet but helpful articles for the management of patients with ocular allergies, corneal infection, low vision, and amblyopia and strabismus. Dr Nathan Kerr has written a CPD article about current and potential techniques for minimally invasive glaucoma surgery, and there are plenty of other opportunities to gain CPD points by learning more about contact lenses, their care and maintenance.
Enjoy.
