Abstract Objective: To assess the knowledge and perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) among ophthalmologists and ophthalmology residents in Brazil and its applicability in clinical practice. Subjects and Methods: This observational, cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study used a 19-item structured questionnaire covering sociodemographic data, professional profile, AI knowledge, clinical applications, perceived benefits, and ethical concerns. The online survey was distributed nationwide using convenience and snowball sampling. Data were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests with a significance level of 0.05 (Jamovi v. 2.3.28). Ethical approval was granted by the Fundação Altino Ventura Institutional Review Board (approval no. 6.631.825). Results: A total of 165 participants completed the survey, including 120 ophthalmologists (73%) and 45 residents (27%), with a mean age of 38.8 ± 11 years. Moderate AI knowledge was reported by 48% of respondents, good knowledge by 27%, and limited knowledge by 22%. AI was considered relevant to ophthalmology by 58% of participants, and 88% expressed moderate trust in AI-generated data. Ethical concerns were reported by 84%. The most frequent AI applications were differential diagnosis (93%), report preparation (81%), therapeutic guidance (59%), and reduction of diagnostic errors (58%). Most participants (73%) viewed AI as a complementary tool to clinical practice, whereas 22% anticipated partial and 1% full professional replacement. Conclusion: Brazilian ophthalmologists recognize AI as a relevant and promising adjunct in clinical practice, particularly for diagnostic support. Although knowledge levels are predominantly moderate, AI is largely perceived as complementary rather than substitutive, with ongoing ethical and reliability concerns emphasizing the need for education, regulation, and continuous evaluation.
Araújo et al. (Wed,) studied this question.