Optometrists are increasingly interested in integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into glaucoma care, taking advantage of the technology’s capability to enhance diagnostic accuracy, track disease progression, and develop personalised treatment strategies.
However, clinical decision making in healthcare involves an informed synthesis of benefit against risk, and the use of AI in glaucoma care introduces unique challenges.
“Ensuring diagnostic accuracy, maintaining reliable data, and keeping patient care human-centred are essential when integrating these advancements into clinical practice,” explained Mary Travis, Clinical Education Coordinator for the Australian College of Optometry (ACO).
Dr Murphy will cover the fundamentals of AI, machine learning, deep learning, and neural networks, examining their applications in glaucoma assessment and future implications for clinical care
As part of the ACO’s upcoming Advanced Certificate of Glaucoma, Dr Tim Murphy will draw on his extensive research in AI applications for healthcare, including diabetic retinopathy and medical education, to explore these issues and more.
Bringing his unique perspective on the intersection of technology and clinical care, Dr Murphy will cover the fundamentals of AI, machine learning, deep learning, and neural networks, examining their applications in glaucoma assessment and future implications for clinical care.
Rising Demand for AI Knowledge
Reflecting on the value of the course, Damon Hannay, a 2024 graduate of the course said, “topics which were already on my radar, such as artificial intelligence and genetics, were covered in far greater depth than I could have achieved solo”.
This deeper comprehension of AI’s role in glaucoma care is becoming more relevant as the optometric practice landscape continues to evolve, and the prevalence of glaucoma continues to rise.
“The combined demographic challenges of an ageing population and increasing myopia in the 21st Century will likely lead to increasing demand for glaucoma screening, diagnosis and management over time,” Ms Travis observed. “The ACO’s Advanced Certificate in Glaucoma is designed to refine optometrists clinical decision-making process, with further application of AI among one of the emerging factors guiding the perennial risk versus benefit paradigm in glaucoma care,” Ms Travis said.
Find out more and enrol in the ACO’s Advanced Certificate in Glaucoma, which commences 17 March 2025.
