Many employees in various industries are worried about the rise of AI, optical dispensers included. But as Sarah Thompson points out, AI is likely to sharpen the focus on the value of human input with patients.
Having worked as a practice manager and optical dispenser in central Victoria for many years, I’ve seen the industry evolve through countless waves of innovation. From digital surfacing to advanced imaging in optometry, change is part of our profession. Today, the most significant shift is the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).
AI is no longer futuristic; it is already here. Lens manufacturers use AI-driven algorithms to optimise progressive lens designs, tailoring them to prescription and lifestyle needs. Diagnostic equipment, such as retinal imaging machines, now feature AI that detects early signs of glaucoma or macular degeneration with accuracy rivalling practitioners. Retail platforms offer virtual frame try-ons, letting patients experiment with styles from home.
For dispensers, this rapid growth of AI can feel both exciting and unsettling. If algorithms can design lenses and virtual systems can recommend frames, where does that leave us?
The truth is that AI should be seen as partner, not replacement. Technology can streamline calculations, predict needs, and automate stock management, but dispensing remains deeply human, and when the system’s down, revert to the ‘old school way’.
Take frame selection: AI may suggest shapes that “fit” a face, but it cannot sense hesitation, confidence, or the personal joy a patient feels when they find the right pair. It cannot reassure a nervous child getting their first glasses, or calm an elderly patient worried about progressive lenses. These are moments where empathy and experience are irreplaceable.
Fitting lenses also illustrates the point. Digital devices may capture measurements with precision, but the dispenser must interpret posture, head tilt, or facial asymmetry, subtleties that impact comfort and vision.
The final success often comes down to the human touch.
The future of dispensing is about blending AI with human connection. Picture a practice where AI automates back-office tasks, predicts recalls, and analyses imaging; freeing dispensers to focus on building trust and guiding patients through increasingly complex lens options. Far from diminishing the role, AI makes the dispenser’s expertise more valuable.
This is especially true as lens technologies expand. Myopia control, customised progressives, and blue-light solutions require explanation. Patients may research them online, but they turn to a skilled dispenser for clarity and reassurance. AI may create the product, but people create confidence.
In Australia, optical practices thrive on relationships. Patients often return to the same dispenser year after year not just for the product, but for the trust built through familiarity. Adjusting a frame on the spot, remembering a style preference, or sharing a laugh during selection, all of this is what keeps patients loyal.
The key challenge ahead is balance. Practices should welcome AI to improve efficiency while ensuring human expertise remains central.
Training will be essential, so dispensers feel confident alongside new technology rather than displaced by it.
Education and the qualification of being an accredited optical dispenser is essential to ensure a deeper understanding of lenses and how they work with a certain prescription, rather than just doing what the promotion or optometrist says.
AI makes us accountable here and calls us to deepen our optical knowledge. Importantly, AI should be framed not as cost-cutting but as a tool that adds value to care.
Take digital centration devices. Used alone, they risk making dispensing a sterile transaction. But combined with the dispenser’s explanation, how measurements affect vision and why lens choice matters, they become powerful tools for education.
Similarly, AI-driven recall systems are most effective when personalised with a warm call or message, turning automation into meaningful contact.
Ultimately, optical dispensing is about more than correcting vision and selling glasses, it’s about people.
AI may sharpen our tools, but it cannot replace empathy, intuition, and care.
As AI continues to transform the industry, optical dispensers who embrace it while keeping the human lens in focus will not only remain relevant but become more essential than ever.
About the author: Ms Sarah Thompson is an optical dispenser working in central Victoria.
