New York: Equipping a smartphone to capture retinal images and using artificial intelligence (AI) to interpret those may help overcome barriers to ophthalmic screening for people with diabetes, says a study.
At the 2019 annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, researchers from Kellogg Eye Center revealed that combining a smartphone-mounted device that takes high-quality retinal pictures with AI software might offer a solution for better screening of diabetic retinopathy.
“The key to preventing DR-related vision loss is early detection through regular screening,” said Yannis Paulus, lead researcher and Assistant Professor from University of Michigan.
According to Paulus, also a vitreoretinal surgeon at Kellogg Eye Center, “the key is to bring portable, easy-to-administer, reliable retinal screening to primary care doctors’ offices and health clinics”.
Paulus was part of a Kellogg team that developed a device that turns a smartphone into a functioning retinal camera. The team used the latest generation of the smartphone-based platform called RetinaScope.
“This is the first time that AI used on a smartphone-based platform has been shown to be effective compared with the gold standard of clinical evaluation,” said Paulus.
–IANS