Backed by Bayer Spain, Barcelona’s Right Care Foundation (RCF) is using Auckland’s Toku Eyes’ AI platform to train doctors in early detection of diseases through retinal imaging.

‘EyeCloud’, a pilot study of Toku Eyes’ technology, will be conducted at Consorci Hospitalari de Vic, where 13,000 patients a year are eligible for diabetic macular oedema screening. In the past, just 2,500 patients (19.2%) were screened and 5-7% referred to the ophthalmology service, said Auckland University Associate Professor Ehsan Vaghefi, Toku Eyes’ CEO.

A/Prof Ehsan Vaghefi

The partnership is an exciting development because it provides an opportunity to use AI as part of medical training, he said. “Our motto is that your eyes are the window to your future health. Hence, we are re-focusing on identifying chronic disease such as cardiovascular risk as part of an eye exam. We believe our AI platform will uniquely benefit patients, the medical community and the pharmaceutical industry by identifying high-risk but asymptomatic patients as part of a routine eye exam, who will then benefit from new therapies.”

In a supporting statement, RCF and Bayer said they plan to extend the use of the technology to bigger hospitals in the fourth quarter of 2023.

For more, see: www.nzoptics.co.nz/articles/archive/validation-for-ai-dr-screening/