100% Optical: Harder, better, smarter, smaller

^{Attendees entering the 100% Optical trade show}

Several common themes emerged across the equipment on offer at this year’s 100% Optical show. From small start-ups to multinational giants, most manufacturers and distributors had a stake in some form of artificial intelligence driven technology. A rising trend was noted in portable instrumentation and enthusiasm for dry eye gadgets showed few signs of waning.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has accelerated developments in optometric equipment at a pace unparalleled, at least in my memory. From talking to the equipment manufacturers, I understand few aspects of the patient journey lie untouched by AI.

My first AI experience at 100% Optical was with the Topcon backed Toku, an AI-powered retinal screening software that uses retinal imaging to estimate your biological age and risk of systemic disease.