AS CONTACT LENS technology evolves, it’s incredible to see innovations that were once considered pipe dreams becoming reality. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in designing and fitting contact lenses is a perfect example.
As eyecare practitioners expand their knowledge and understanding of how to use AI to make their practices and patient care better, contact lenses will be easier to fit, will deliver better vision, and be healthier for patients’ eyes.
Easier to Fit
Practitioners believe that they can be more efficient when fitting contact lenses with the help of AI. When imaging software can be linked to the lathing software, AI can help practitioners create designs that previously were considered impossible. Additionally, using its knowledge of contact lenses that are currently on the market, along with measurements of patients’ eyes (keratometry, eye size, sagittal depth, etc), AI will be able to make a recommendation for which lens will most likely fit on a patient’s eye.1This, in turn, will increase practitioner efficiency.
More Innovative for Vision
Soft disposable contact lenses currently in use vary in lens shape and optics. This is especially true for multifocal contact lenses. When practitioners can better understand the location and dynamics of a patient’s pupil (ie, size and size changes with lighting), AI will help providers determine which multifocal contact lens will work best for patients. It will also be able to incorporate the design and fit of the contact lenses based on eye shape.
A practitioner may have found a design that suits a patient’s optics, but the shape of the patient’s eye (eg, sagittal depth) may throw off the optics. In a case like this, AI may be able to suggest the best off-the-rack contact lens or provide the parameters needed to order a custom lens.
Better for Eye Health
Practitioners will continue to see intriguing innovations in contact lenses, such as the novel ways those lenses can improve ocular health. Of course, these innovations do not all work the same for every patient.
When we can better analyze objective patient findings—such as tear film, eyelid position, and use of contact lenses—AI can then reveal how thousands of different patients respond to multiple contact lens materials. This will allow practitioners to match patients with specific materials and solutions. Our current practices do work for many patients, but AI can make us even more successful.
Going forward, AI will be able to make a strong impact on practices by analyzing millions of data points. This will result in more efficiency, visual innovations, and better eye health.
References
- van der Worp E, van der Linden. State of the Art(ificial): Part 2. Global Contact. April 22, 2024. www.global-cl.com/state-of-the-artificial-part-2. Accessed April 18, 2025.
