The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Triaging Patients in Eye Casualty Departments: A Systematic Review.

Abstract

Visual impairment and eye disease remain a significant burden, highlighting the need for further support regarding eye care services. Artificial intelligence (AI) and its rapid advancements are providing an avenue for transforming healthcare. As a result, this provides a potential avenue to address the growing challenges with eye health and could assist in settings such as eye casualty departments. This review aims to evaluate current studies on AI implementation in eye casualty triage to understand the potential application for the future. A systematic review was conducted across a range of sources and databases producing 77 records initially identified, with four studies included in the final analysis. The findings demonstrated that AI tools are able to produce consistent and accurate triaging of patients and provide improvement in work efficiency without compromising safety. However, we note limitations of the studies including limited external validations of results and general applicability at present. Additionally, all the studies highlight the need for further studies and testing to allow for better understanding and validation of AI tools in eye casualty triaging.