05 June 2025
A few days ago, I was asked to chair a session at MemCom, the annual conference for membership organisations, on the topic Change or die. Uncharacteristically perhaps, I had done some research in advance and, in a – largely fruitless, I suspect – attempt to get people thinking, I told the story of the rise and fall of hand loom weaving during the industrial revolution.
At first, the massive growth in importance of the cotton industry drove a huge rise in weavers’ jobs, with the five-fold increase in demand forcing the removal of restrictions on age until up to half a million men, women and children in the Midlands and North were employed in the industry by 1825.
Then, 10 years later, the adoption of mechanised power-weaving forced the relocation of the work from a domestic setting to one done in factories, driving a significant growth in urbanisation and the replacement of the previous rhythms of domestic life by the rigid diktats of the factory clock.
Mechanisation also lowered the skills barrier for employees, driving down wages and – eventually – employee numbers. By the 1830s, weavers’ numbers had dropped by a quarter and protests – often including violence – had become commonplace. All to no avail: by the end of the century, while factories in the north continued to churn out cotton and wool cloth, what had been a prestigious, skilled job had now become undervalued and under-rewarded.
I don’t want to push the comparison too far: what optometrists do is too important and too highly specialised to go the way of hand loom weaving. But there is a challenge here: we are in the middle of another industrial revolution – the fourth industrial revolution, according to some academics – and one founded not on mechanisation but on artificial intelligence (AI).
While optometry will undoubtedly survive, what optometrists do in 20 years’ time will be very different from what they do now. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge to optometrists
A revolution in motion
We are already seeing the impact of this revolution on the way we live and work. Just like the transition to power-weaving helped to drive the move from country to town and from piecework to set working hours, the rise of virtual communications had started to enable the reversal of that process, with people working more at home and at times that suited them.
The impacts of the new revolution are bound to be felt more directly on what optometrists do and how it is done. AI-supported diagnosis is already becoming commonplace. Virtual consultations and remote fulfilment are on the rise. With the pace of technological change increasing exponentially, more initiatives will inevitably follow. We cannot predict with any confidence what they will be, but we can be absolutely certain about one thing: while optometry will undoubtedly survive, what optometrists do in 20 years’ time will be very different from what they do now. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge to optometrists.
“The S in NHS stands for 'service'”
With an ageing UK population, using High Street optometry to help meet the eye care needs of older people should be a given, writes AOP chief executive, Adam Sampson
For the energetic, imaginative and flexible members of the profession, the next decades will present the chance to advance themselves and their skills and position themselves in the forefront of what will be a rapidly-changing profession. For those who merely want to do the same now as they have been doing for decades past, there will be the challenge of adapting to that new world. And for some – and I have seen this in other professions in which I have worked over the past few years – the process of adaption is something which they are unwilling or unable to do and they will take their entirely marketable skills and use them in another way, as part of another profession.
This presents a challenge for the AOP too. We need to ensure that we are adapting to the opportunities and challenges of the new revolution ourselves: making the best use we can of the new technology to increase efficiency and drive down our cost to members. We also have to adapt the support we offer to members facing these new challenges, whether it be by inventing new training courses, tweaking the way we interact with members, or adapting our policy positions to ensure that we are always up to date with the emerging issues.
As I say, this is a revolution, and the future is not predictable. We cannot take anything for granted, and, between us, we will of course make some mistakes. But for anyone who has read anything about previous revolutions, those who are ready to adapt and are quick on their feet will not just survive but thrive. That is what we will aim to do at the AOP, and that is what we will aim to support you in doing.
About the author
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to join the discussion. Log in