MELBOURNE, Australia: Researchers here are developing an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that analyses retinal images to detect chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and kidney conditions earlier and more accurately, reported Xinhua.
The research project is looking to develop a foundational AI model capable of detecting a wide range of systemic diseases from retinal images, according to a statement released Thursday by Australia’s Monash University, which led the study.
By using advanced AI to analyse retinal images linked with health data from hundreds of thousands, the team aims to generate accurate, non-invasive screening tools for earlier diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, it said.
It added that existing tools for detecting these conditions are often insufficiently personalised, invasive, or too costly to be widely used.
Instead of relying on onerous manual analysis of large image data sets, the project uses advanced AI on de-identified, linked, decades-long data to build a multimodal model that detects multiple systemic diseases more comprehensively than single-disease approaches, said Monash University Associate Professor, Ge Zongyuan.
Optain Health’s President, Zachary Tan, who co-led the study, said early identification through retinal imaging could enable timelier interventions and shift healthcare “toward prevention rather than treatment”. – BERNAMA-XINHUA
