Vision Expo 2026: How AI is giving doctors their lives back with Dr Jay Henry

In an exclusive interview with the Eye Care Network, Jay Henry, MS, OD, discussed the pervasive issue of burnout in optometry in his Vision Expo 2026 presentation “From Burnout to Breakthrough: How AI is Giving Doctors Their Lives Back.” Henry framed burnout as a mismatch between why providers entered the profession and what their day-to-day has become. Optometrists typically choose the field to diagnose disease, solve complex problems, and build meaningful relationships with patients and their families. However, clinical reality often shifts focus away from patient care toward time pressure, administrative burdens, repetitive tasks, and staffing challenges. These factors erode professional satisfaction and contribute heavily to burnout.

Drawing from personal experience, Henry noted that on high-volume days, care can start to feel like “going through the motions” and simply “checking boxes”, rather than providing the thoughtful, relational care they aspire to. This realization prompted them to examine which daily tasks truly required a doctor’s direct involvement and which could be delegated or augmented by technology, especially AI.

Henry argued that AI can help restore time and focus to patient care by acting as a background tool that performs repetitive or low-value tasks. Examples include AI-powered scribing in the exam room, allowing doctors to maintain eye contact and genuine connection with patients while documentation is handled automatically. AI can also analyze images, suggest possible findings, assist with billing, support data analysis, and manage patient engagement.

In Henry’s practice, AI is now used “front to back”: for online scheduling, answering patient questions via chat, returning missed calls, billing support, and exam-room scribing. This benefits doctors (less screen time, more meaningful interaction), staff (reduced phone volume and repetitive inquiries, more enjoyable roles), and patients (24/7 access, real-time scheduling, quick answers like whether glasses are ready).

Addressing skepticism, Henry acknowledged that many clinicians have been burned by “new technology” that promised efficiency but added more clicks and time. They emphasize that AI is different because it usually runs in the background, reducing workload rather than increasing it. Ultimately, the message is that AI, when thoughtfully implemented, is a win-win-win for doctors, staff, and patients, and represents the future of efficient, patient-centered optometric care.