The practice of detecting systemic disease through the eye is on a trajectory—is it really a future direction for optometry? Here, in Part Two of our series on Oculomics, we look at how three ODs are implementing this opportunity in practice.
Oculomics is the fast-growing practice of utilizing AI and data derived from the eye via advanced imaging such as OCT scans to analyze ocular biomarkers to detect, predict, and monitor systemic diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular risk, and even cancer.
In Part One of our Insight Media Oculomics series, we covered the backstory on this fast-emerging practice. One key takeaway—while some eye care practitioners (ECPs) have been tying the eye’s connection to health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure for decades, recent advances in imaging, big data, and AI have vastly expanded the role the eye plays in preventative health. Here, in Part Two, we detail how some optometric practices are successfully implementing oculomics—and why this field represents an opportunity for growth for optometry.
Insight Media Video Interview: Kerry Gelb, OD, on the Opportunity in Oculomics.
Key Points from Part One
AI x Retinal Imaging. Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming retinal imaging by identifying ocular biomarkers linked to systemic and neurological health. By comparing a single retinal scan against millions of others, AI can detect subtle variations from healthy patterns and recognize similarities associated with conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s.
A Connected Care Ecosystem. This ability to analyze vast datasets rapidly, accurately, and at scale positions AI as a powerful tool for helping to detect and predict disease risk through non-invasive retinal imaging. With AI-powered retinal analysis, ECPs are uniquely positioned to detect early signs of systemic and neurological disease. In this “connected care” ecosystem, ECPs play a central role, linking patients with other providers and helping to build a healthcare model that is more accessible, affordable, and equitable.
An Oculomics Alliance. In May 2025, the Alliance for Healthcare from the Eye (AHE) launched as a consortium of healthcare organizations consisting of health systems, physicians, payers, researchers, policy makers, and representatives from industry and government working in tandem to “improve clinical outcomes by enabling the ethical and impactful adoption of oculomics in real-world practice.” Partner organizations include Topcon Healthcare, Microsoft, New England College of Optometry, SUNY College of Optometry, Toku, AEYE Health, and others.
“By analyzing retinal biomarkers, such as retinal capillary images, neural tissue changes, and retinal artery pressure measurement, optometrists can identify early signs of conditions such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, stroke risk, and autoimmune disorders—often years before symptoms appear elsewhere in the body.”
Kerry Gelb, OD
Oculomics Technology Solutions
The AHE initiative employs technology to not only detect indicators of both eye and systemic health from retinal images, but then to connect the patient quickly and easily to providers who can work collaboratively to address systemic health concerns, according to Rupe Hansra, OD, VP of Professional Affairs at Topcon Healthcare, who gave a presentation on these points at the 2025 New England College of Optometry (NECO) Industry Collaborative, held in November.
Topcon’s robotic imaging devices and Harmony software are a key oculomics-focused offer. Captured data flows from the imaging device into the Harmony data management platform, and then to the cloud where the AI analysis is performed in a secure Microsoft Azure environment. The results are returned as a report, ready for clinical use. Harmony functions much like an operating system for eye care data, something like your iOS on your iPhone, according to Dr. Hansra.
“You can use any type of imaging device you want, but there are lots advantages to using robotic technology,” he said. “Topcon’s robotic imaging devices are designed to minimize operator variability, which results in highly consistent image capture. That consistency translates into more reliable data input, which is an essential factor when feeding AI algorithms.”
These technologies create a more complete patient profile and align with where medicine is heading—early risk detection, personalized care, and measurable health improvements.
solomon Gould, OD
Oculomics in Practice: Kerry Gelb, OD
Kerry Gelb, OD, of Contact Lens & Vision in New Jersey, and the host of the vision health-focused podcast, Open Your Eyes, uses several oculomics-focused technologies to help assess systemic health in patients. These include Falck Medical’s Falck Multifunction Device and ophthalmodynamometry to measure ocular perfusion pressure assessing risk for stroke. Dr. Gelb also utilizes additional tools, including Topcon’s Maestro OCT fundus camera and BioAge, a software system recently acquired by Topcon that the company says determines a person’s biological age via vascular and metabolic indicators in a retinal image.
Overall, Dr. Gelb shares that oculomics holds incredible opportunity for both patient and provider. “By analyzing retinal biomarkers, such as retinal capillary images, neural tissue changes, and retinal artery pressure measurement, optometrists can identify early signs of conditions such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, stroke risk, and autoimmune disorders—often years before symptoms appear elsewhere in the body,” Dr. Gelb said.
Oculomics in Practice: Solomon Gould, OD
Solomon Gould, OD, MBA, senior director, eye care at EssilorLuxottica, has seen oculomics technology put to good use at the Pearle Vision Centers he oversees. In Dr. Gould’s former private practices, he used technology from Cognivue to find indicators of neurological health via a cognitive screening.
“I adopted Cognivue because I saw how cognitive health screening aligned with what optometrists are uniquely positioned to observe,” he says. “The visual system is deeply interconnected, bi-directionally, with neurological function, and subtle cognitive decline often manifests first through visual processing changes.”
Dr. Gould has carried this interest in oculomics into his work with eye care teams at Pearle Vision Centers, where he says they use other technologies to create a complete patient profile:
OCT imaging with advanced layer analytics (retinal nerve fiber layer, ganglion cell complex, choroid) Retinal vessel oximetry and vascular analytics
Macular pigment optical density measurement
Tear film inflammatory biomarkers (osmolarity, MMP-9)
AI-enhanced imaging tools capable of detecting cardiometabolic and neurologic risk
“These technologies create a more complete patient profile and align with where medicine is heading—early risk detection, personalized care, and measurable health improvements,” he says.
I think the holy grail in oculomics is if we can get information about Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other personalized risk factors.
Julie Helmus, OD
Oculomics in Practice: Julie Helmus, OD
The promise of oculomics is impressive—but will patients be enthusiastic about it, as well.
Julie Helmus, OD, Helmus Optometry, shares that patients in her Davis, Calif., practice trialed BioAge earlier this year. “I was pretty surprised…by patients’ response,” says Dr. Helmus. The main issue, she says, was that patients wanted more information beyond their biological age. She notes that the report patients received provided general health recommendations and resources, which left them wanting more detailed information.
This patient preference points to the opportunity in oculomics, providing more information on systemic health. Dr. Helmus believes the coming opportunity of not just learning about issues like diabetes and neurological conditions, but even kidney health in the future via oculomics.
“I think the holy grail in oculomics is if we can get information about Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other personalized risk factors,” says Dr. Helmus.
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