For optometry practices, offering eyewear that fits a patient’s style, needs, and prescription can be a challenging yet crucial part of patient satisfaction. With the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), there are new, innovative ways to enhance eyewear recommendations, transforming what was once a time-consuming process for everyone involved into an efficient, personalized experience.
While we often think of AI for more significant aspects of optometry, such as diagnostics and telehealth care, there are plenty of lighter, more unique applications as well. Incorporating AI into your practice to help patients find their perfect frames is a small but fun way to enhance their experience and help them choose you for their eye care needs every time.
Here are three examples:
1. Personalized Frame Recommendations Based on Facial Recognition
AI can analyze a patient’s facial features to determine which frames best suit their face shape, size, and even skin tone. With advanced facial recognition technology, AI can quickly assess these factors and match patients with frames that complement their unique facial structure. Your patients will feel more confident in their selections.
How It Works:
Through digital imaging, AI algorithms scan and map the patient’s facial dimensions, such as the width of their face, the distance between their eyes, and the shape of their jawline. Once the AI analyzes these dimensions, it can suggest frames from your practice’s catalog that best match the patient’s facial profile, saving time and improving satisfaction.
Benefits:
This enhances the accuracy of frame selection and empowers patients by offering them a selection they know will suit them before trying anything on. For optometry practices, this saves time and reduces the need to stock large inventories, as digital recommendations can limit the need for extensive physical “try-ons” as patients narrow down their choices.
2. Virtual Try-On Technology with Augmented Reality (AR)
Virtual try-on technology, powered by AI and augmented reality, allows patients to see how they would look with different frames in real-time, all without the need to actually try on each pair. For practices that offer both in-office and online shopping experiences, this can be particularly useful, helping create a seamless and enjoyable process for all patients.
How It Works:
Using a computer or mobile device, patients can access a virtual try-on feature that overlays the selected frames onto their image. AI algorithms then adjust the frames to ensure they are displayed accurately on the patient’s face, giving a realistic view of how the frames will look.
Benefits:
Patients can try on multiple frames quickly, saving them time and making the process more fun and engaging. For practices, virtual try-on reduces the time spent selecting frames and allows for a more efficient process, especially in busy settings. Plus, it enables remote patients to engage fully in the selection process, offering a modern, tech-forward experience.
3. Data-Driven Style and Lens Recommendations
AI can use patient preferences, lifestyle information, and previous purchase history to make data-driven style and lens recommendations. By understanding the patient’s unique needs—whether they need lenses for sports, reading, or everyday use—AI can suggest eyewear that best matches their lifestyle and vision requirements.
How It Works:
AI gathers data from a patient’s past eyewear selections, lifestyle questionnaire responses, and prescription details. Based on this information, the algorithms then suggest the type of lens coating, material, and frame that best fits the patient’s needs.
Benefits:
This level of personalization enhances the patient experience, ensuring they receive recommendations that align with their daily activities and preferences. It also helps practices provide high-quality service, strengthening patient loyalty and satisfaction.
Are These Fun Applications Worth It?
By integrating AI-driven tools into the eyewear recommendation process, optometry practices can offer a more accurate, efficient, and enjoyable experience. In a world where patients have their choice of care, the customer experience is pinnacle.
With AI’s continued evolution, practices that adopt these innovative solutions will stay competitive, meet rising patient expectations, and deliver an exceptional level of care. When we do your systems audit, we’ll help identify which of these tools might fit best with your practice and help you determine if it’s worth the time and money to implement. Then, we’ll help you do it.
