AI could help diagnose dementia through eye tests
Scottish researchers are working on a new AI tool that could be used by high-street opticians to spot the early signs of dementia.
Photographs taken of the retina at the back of the eye can give an indication of brain health, and by using AI software to analyse the information, scientists may be able to spot signs of disease before any symptoms are experienced.
The NeurEYE research team has collected almost a million eye scans from opticians across Scotland - the largest data set of its kind in the world - and with the help of AI has developed an algorithm that can assess the health of the blood vessels in the eye that could indicate neurogenerative diseases.
The database the team has built up can be applied to photographs taken during routine eye examinations and could eventually be used by clinicians to either prevent disease from occurring, or to diagnose conditions at a far earlier stage than is currently available.
The blood vessels in the eye are very small and fine meaning they can show up conditions earlier than other parts of the body.
The NeurEYE team is being led by the University of Edinburgh, and includes researchers from Glasgow Caledonian University.