Using AI to interpret eye images for major health risks

It can screen for life-threatening conditions like brain tumours

Images of the ocular fundus (inside, back surface of the eye) showing the optic nerve head - the region where the blood vessels converge - in a normal patient (left) and in a patient with subtle abnormalities associated with a brain tumour. PHOTOS: SINGAPORE NATIONAL EYE CENTRE
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An artificial intelligence (AI) system can look at photographs of the back of the eye and accurately detect if there is an eye condition that points to a brain tumour or other life-or vision-threatening conditions.

It sounds almost too good to be true, but Professor Dan Milea, a neuro-ophthalmologist and a senior consultant at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), said this game-changing concept has recently been proven.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 04, 2020, with the headline Using AI to interpret eye images for major health risks. Subscribe