EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/1545140
SUMMER 2026 | EYEWORLD | 77 P "I also find Helio.AI to be a powerful tool that incorporates the user-friendly interface of other LLMs (like ChatGPT), but that uses medi- cal data from PubMed and from recent medical news articles to populate search results that are tailored to doctors. This should hopefully cut down on false information from the LLM and in- crease the value of this powerful system, not to mention increasing the trust factor. This is new and in its early days but could help with things like reviewing the scientific literature to un- derstand the current standard of care and best practices for management of complex and rare eye diseases, writing letters for patients, draft- ing letters to insurance companies, or exploring research ideas." 'I love … the ability to choose different targets' Julie Schallhorn, MD "The one tool that we've employed that has been the most useful is VERACITY [Zeiss]. It took a really disparate system of IOL selection with multiple providers each doing it their own way and streamlined it so that our biometry techs aren't always running recalculations, and our IOL coordinators are better on top of ordering and inventory. I love it for the ability to choose different targets/IOL options without having to use an online calculator or bug my staff." 'Saved … time, resources, and money' Robert Weinstock, MD "Our surgery counselors love connecting our surgical patients to Ocular Science's online ordering and refill system for a combination cataract drop. The pure, digital nature of this combined with direct home shipping has been a huge value add for our practice. It has saved our team and patients so much time, resources, and money. It's unbelievable. "I love the seamlessly integrated wireless communication between our preoperative devices like the Cassini [Cassini Technologies] and the Pentacam [Oculus] to the LENSAR ALLY femtosecond laser in the operating room. The digital communication allows for integration About the physicians (continued) Julie Schallhorn, MD Rose B. Williams Endowed Chair in Corneal Research University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, California Robert Weinstock, MD The Eye Institute of West Florida Largo, Florida Relevant disclosures Armstrong: AVTRMed, CDC, DKBmed, DynaMed, McKinsey & Company, Optomed, Regeneron, Xenon Ophthalmics Chang: None Hovanesian: None Kitchens: AbbVie, Alcon, Amgen, ANI, Apellis, Astellas, Bayer, Cencora, EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Genentech, Harrow, Neurotech, Ocular Therapeutix, Regeneron, Zeiss Korn: None Loh: None Rosenberg: Alcon Schallhorn: Zeiss Weinstock: Alcon, Bausch + Lomb, BVI, Johnson & Johnson, LENSAR of these technologies, aiding in iris registration for cyclotorsion and precise toric or arcuate astigmatism management for patients without significant time or work by the staff. "Then there's Helio.AI, a new platform that is free. It is an augmented AI database search technology to help surgeons and clinicians rapidly gather information regarding clinical and surgical decision-making. It weeds out all of the social media and anecdotal information and purely relies on the scientific literature. Although it is just getting going, it certainly is something I plan on using routinely to help me in clinical practice." 'Decreases transcription errors' Eric Rosenberg, DO "My plug-in is for SMARTCataract, which is part of Alcon's SMART Solutions, a cloud-based digital health ecosystem. I love the integration with my biometer, EHR, and the surgical scope, being able to align torics on a digital axis while a patient is in a seated position without marking and centering multifocal IOLs on a true visual axis. It also decreases transcription errors and risks associated with implanting incorrect IOLs." continued on page 78 DIGITAL William Trattler, MD, EyeWorld Refractive Editorial Board member, shared how he thinks digital advances are accelerating across the specialty: "I am excited about the transformative impact AI will have on patient education. A growing number of platforms are being developed to help patients better understand their ocular conditions, as well as set expectations for procedures, surgical options, and emerging technologies. These advances have the potential to significantly enhance patient understanding, engagement, and the overall patient experience."