VisionPlus India

PRIYANKA DEDHIA, OPTOMETRIST AND OWNER, CLASSIC VISION “THE WORLD IS EVOLVING EVERY SECOND, AND IF YOU DON'T EVOLVE WITH THE TRENDS, YOU WILL BE LEFT BEHIND. AI IS NEITHER A THREAT NOR A TOOL BUT A MECHANISM WHICH CAN BE ALTERED TO HELP YOU PUT YOUR BEST PROFESSIONAL FOOT FORWARD, PROVIDED YOU KNOW HOW TO USE IT TO YOUR BENEFIT. GOING FORWARD, AI IS GOING TO BE THE NORM, WHICH IS GOING TO BE A PART OF EVERY INDUSTRY, INCLUDING THE OPTICAL INDUSTRY, AND THOSE THAT USE IT AS AN ASSET WILL DEFINITELY HAVE A BETTER AND MORE GLOBAL PRACTICE. AT CLASSIC VISION, THE REASON WHY WE ALWAYS INVEST IN THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATIONS IS THAT WE GENUINELY ENJOY PLAYING WITH THE LATEST GLOBAL TECH, SPECIFICALLY AI-DRIVEN, TO GIVE OUR CUSTOMERS THE BEST THE WORLD HAS TO OFFER. FROM FUTURE MYOPIC PREDICTIONS TO GENERATING BESPOKE EYEWEAR AND TELEOPTOMETRY, AI IS DEFINITELY A VERY HELPFUL AND NON-NEGOTIABLE ASPECT FOR US AT CLASSIC VISION.” RONAK SHETH, FOUNDER, OPIUM EYEWEAR “WE DON’T SEE AI AS A REPLACEMENT FOR PEOPLE IN OPTICAL RETAIL - WE SEE IT AS SUPPORT. AT OPIUM EYEWEAR, TECHNOLOGY HELPS US DO WHAT WE ALREADY CARE ABOUT, JUST BETTER. WHETHER IT’S MAKING EYE TESTING MORE ACCURATE, SIMPLIFYING THE ONLINE BUYING JOURNEY, OR UNDERSTANDING OUR CUSTOMERS MORE DEEPLY, AI ALLOWS OUR TEAMS TO FOCUS ON WHAT REALLY MATTERS: GREAT PRODUCTS AND GENUINE HUMAN CONNECTION. IN A FAST-MOVING MARKET LIKE INDIA, AI DOESN’T TAKE AWAY EXPERTISE - IT HELPS DELIVER IT IN SMARTER, MORE MEANINGFUL WAYS. ” RAMACHANDRAN PARTHASARATHY, EYEWEAR EXPERT “AI IS NOW EMBEDDED ACROSS EVERY ASPECT OF BUSINESS, AND OPTICAL RETAIL IS NO EXCEPTION. HOWEVER, IN EYE CARE, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MUST BE BALANCED WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EQ). TECHNOLOGY CAN ANALYSE DATA, BUT TRUST, EMPATHY, AND PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT REMAIN UNIQUELY HUMAN. RATHER THAN REPLACING EXPERTISE, AI IS REDEFINING HOW THAT EXPERTISE IS DELIVERED. OPTICAL PROFESSIONALS WILL INCREASINGLY RELY ON DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHTS, COVERING VISION NEEDS, LIFESTYLE PATTERNS, AND PRODUCT PERFORMANCE, TO RECOMMEND BETTER, MORE PERSONALISED SOLUTIONS. THE REAL MEASURE OF SUCCESS WILL BE HOW EFFECTIVELY AI IS USED FOR VALUE CREATION, NOT SIMPLY FOR AUTOMATION. IN OPTICAL RETAIL, THIS TRANSLATES INTO FASTER DECISIONS, SMARTER RECOMMENDATIONS, AND MORE CONSISTENT CARE— WHILE KEEPING PROFESSIONALS FIRMLY AT THE CENTRE OF THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. AI IS THEREFORE NOT A THREAT TO EXPERTISE; IT IS BECOMING A NEW TEAMMATE THAT AMPLIFIES IT.” 59 VISION PLUS INDIA EDITION