OpenEvidence and the American Academy of Ophthalmology Partner to Close the Gap Between Evidence and Eye Care

Academy’s Preferred Practice Patterns® and clinical guidelines are now integrated into the most widely used medical AI platform among U.S. physicians — available free to ophthalmologists globally

MIAMI & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Academy of Ophthalmology, the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons, and OpenEvidence, the most widely used medical AI platform among U.S. physicians, today announced a strategic partnership to integrate the Academy’s Preferred Practice Patterns® and Ophthalmic Technology Assessments directly into the OpenEvidence platform. The partnership makes the Academy’s authoritative ophthalmology guidance available alongside the broader peer-reviewed medical literature in a cited, searchable workflow — at no cost to ophthalmologists.

With 32,000 medical doctors, the American Academy of Ophthalmology sets the standards for ophthalmic education and care. Its Preferred Practice Patterns® are among the most influential clinical guidelines in ophthalmology, developed through rigorous evidence review and continuously updated by subspecialty experts. Under the partnership, OpenEvidence incorporates the Academy's practice guidelines into its models and provides the Academy with high-level usage information identifying topics of particular interest to ophthalmologists, as well as potential gaps in existing guidance. This feedback loop is designed to help the Academy prioritize future content development and ensure that its clinical resources remain responsive to how ophthalmologists actually practice.

“We evaluated the landscape carefully and chose OpenEvidence because of the rigor of their approach. Their models are trained on peer-reviewed literature, every answer is cited and verifiable, and they have built the infrastructure to integrate specialty-specific guidance with the depth and nuance that our physicians need — at a level that sets the bar for all," said Stephen D. McLeod, MD, CEO, American Academy of Ophthalmology. "This partnership is about more than content integration. Together, we are building a feedback loop between how ophthalmologists practice and how the Academy responds to these needs, using real-world usage data to identify gaps and priorities we couldn't see before. The age of AI offers opportunities for the medical profession to focus on real needs in real time, and the Academy intends to lead the way — with OpenEvidence as our partner."

“Ophthalmology is a field where the depth of subspecialty knowledge is critical and the clinical guidelines reflect decades of rigorous evidence review. We’re excited to work with the Academy to trailblaze the next steps in expert guided practice, partnering to leverage AI tools and what we are learning about the real world clinical knowledge requirements in ophthalmology to support the Academy on their efforts,” said Travis Zack, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of OpenEvidence. “This partnership reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that the best available evidence reaches clinicians at the point of care.”

Structured as a license of the Academy’s content, with the Academy maintaining sole intellectual and financial responsibility for creating its Preferred Practice Patterns® and Ophthalmic Technology Assessments, the partnership preserves the Academy’s independence in developing these guidelines while expanding its leadership as a clinical resource.

By embedding the Academy's clinical guidance directly into the physician's workflow, OpenEvidence and the Academy are helping ensure that ophthalmologists have trusted, specialty-specific evidence at the point of care, raising the standard for how clinical knowledge reaches the bedside.

About the American Academy of Ophthalmology

The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons. A global community of 32,000 medical doctors, we protect sight and empower lives by setting the standards for ophthalmic education and advocating for public policy in eye health. We innovate to advance our profession and to ensure the delivery of the highest-quality eye care. Our EyeSmart® program provides the public with the most trusted information about eye health. For more information, visit aao.org.

About OpenEvidence

OpenEvidence is the most widely used medical AI platform among U.S. physicians, and is trusted by hundreds of thousands of verified clinicians to make high-stakes clinical decisions at the point of care with answers that are sourced, cited, and grounded in peer-reviewed medical literature. OpenEvidence was founded with the mission to organize and expand the world's collective medical knowledge. Learn more at openevidence.com.