ASIDE FROM ITS
diagnostic and other medical uses, which are already creating huge waves in eyecare, AI tools are also finding a foothold in the everyday operations of independent practices. From streamlining hiring and marketing to generating images and drafting operating procedures, the following seven businesses share how they’re putting this technology to practical — and often creative — use.
Look New Canaan
New Canaan, CT
The team at Look New Canaan has found AI apps helpful in drafting eye-catching job postings. “When hiring for an optician, we wanted to stand out from the crowd and make our job posting unique,” says chief vision officer Dr. Jennifer Stewart. “We used AI to help us draft a job description and listing that was fun, personable and fit our style.” And the move seems to have paid off. Says Stewart, “The optician we hired said she wanted to join a practice that sounded so fun online!”
Sights & Shades
Canandaigua, NY
“I just want to state that AI isn’t perfect, it is a tool.” With that caveat out of the way, Sights & Shades owner Jennifer Yerden says the technology has been useful in helping her “plan and think.” As a one-woman show, sometimes she just needs a quick little blurb for a picture, and finds it works well. “I use it currently to help create monthly themes. Everything from emails, event planning, social media posting, cartoon image creation for our mascot Gus, the polar bear, and quick referencing for business issues — taxes, state regulations,” she says. “What AI creates, I will use as an outline and make changes and tweaks accordingly. AI has helped my words sound more fluid — and no I didn’t use AI for this,” she assures us via email.
Woodley Optometry
Encino, CA
Charting is one of those tasks that takes up a lot of time you could be spending with patients or strategizing. Woodley Optometry owner Dr. Talin Amadian finds AI tools can save her time. “When you use AI to gather your thoughts in a concise manner and have it presented in a SOAP* notes format, it allows you to contribute exam findings to the patient chart more effectively and efficiently,” she reports.
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Eyecare Associates of Osawatomie
Osawatomie, KS
Some practices are finding AI gives them a new option for sourcing images for marketing and even interior decoration purposes. One of these is Eyecare Associates of Osawatomie, which has been using AI image generation to help with social media content. “Rather than trying to find applicable stock images and then get the rights to those images, or staging our own photos, we’ve experimented with generating our own,” says owner Dr. Melanie Deitch. “We also used image generation to create a themed series of artworks for our waiting room that matched our office colors and other textures/patterns in the room.”
Sweet View Optical
Sugar Hill, GA
Creating content for Sweet View Optical’s marketing campaigns has gotten quicker and easier thanks to AI tools, says owner/optician Tiffany Rosell. “With the right prompts, using AI has saved me so much time crafting the content I want without spending hours crafting each individual post,” she says.
Your Eyecare Team
Kiel, WI
Karin Wille, practice administrator at Your Eyecare Team, says the AI tool ChatGPT has transformed the way she handles everything from letters and policies to standard operating procedures. “It cuts my editing time in half,” she notes. To demonstrate the time-saving benefit, in replying to our reach out to her, she even sent us both an email she wrote herself from scratch, and an AI-generated reply crafted from prompts. She timed herself, and while her own draft took 14 minutes, ChatGPT’s took four. The tool not only sped up the process but also offered multiple tone options and suggestions for improvement. “It doesn’t replace the human touch,” she adds, “but for everyday tasks, it’s a game-changer.”
Forsight Vision
Glenview and Long Grove, IL
At Forsight Vision, recruitment is also where AI has made its presence felt. The team has seen an improvement in the quality of job candidates since using the tool. “I was able to create a job listing that got more qualified candidates then I have seen before,” says operations manager Sadie Blair. “By using Chat GPT I was able to customize my job ad to make it more inviting and interesting for candidates to apply. The use of AI allowed me to make it specific to my exact practices needs and resulted in more qualified candidates applying then any type of advertisement I had used before.”
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