A new technique for identifying and diagnosing damage to the human retina has been awarded ‘Best Student Paper’ at the Bioimaging 2018 conference in Portugal.
Doctoral candidate Bashir Dodo, from Brunel University London’s Department of Computer Science, demonstrated a new algorithm for optical coherence tomography (OCT) equipment which can automatically segment images of the retina into seven distinct layers.
Whilst ophthalmologists are currently able to identify the layers manually from OCT images, Bashir’s algorithm automatically segments images of the retina, allowing specialists to spot abnormalities quicker and better track the progress of medication, he said. He hopes the new technique will improve accuracy and speed of diagnosis to help save sight by identifying problems earlier. “Automatically segmenting the layers could provide critical information for abnormality detection by comparing them to the average population and monitoring the progress of disease against previous scans.”
