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India’s eye healthcare is entering into a transformative phase with artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced data analysis. This would fundamentally change identification, treatment, and prevention of eye diseases, said Dr. Mahavir Kandharwar, Specialist in Glaucoma and Cataract Management at National Institute of Ophthalmology, Pune.
Rather than having a reactive approach to treating patients whose vision is affected, we now proactively use collected data from eye pathology reports to provide the best possible eye care. Deploying advanced technologies are allowing faster early detection, management, and prevention of conditions that cause vision loss, he added.
Pathology reports help identify risks long before patients experience vision loss. Technological advances in ultra-widefield retinal imaging and OCT (optical coherence tomography) aid ophthalmologists to get detailed high-resolution imaging of an eye’s interior. These imaging scans provide a large volume of data, which becomes unmanageable through manual interpretation only, he said.
AI models trained on millions of retinal images can detect subtle biomarkers of diseases like diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and Glaucoma. The advantages of these models are its speed and scale. AI can instantly find out the high-risk cases which will help in ensuring timely specialist referrals. And this will also enable interventions during the early stages when treatment is most effective, Dr Kandharwar told Pharmabiz.
Traditionally, treatments have been based on population averages, but AI can inform a physician about what is likely to occur with a specific patient. For conditions that rely upon anti-VEGF injections, AI is currently under development to allow predict and, therefore, reduce unnecessary treatment. It can also better identify patients who will respond the best. Further, AI-enabled screening programs support the telemedicine usage, bringing eye care to remote or underserved areas, he noted.
Going forward, vision correction is possible with a combination of data-driven and preventive strategies. Rather than conducting an annual eye check-up individuals will have their eye health monitored on an ongoing basis and with a risk-based approach. Also AI enables real-time recommendations to be generated from multiple sources including data from a person's wearable devices like fitness trackers, information on environmental factors like UV exposure rates, and data related to the individual's genetic predispositions. Recommendations could include everything from advice on how much time to be spend in front of a computer to dietary recommendations that help minimize risks from developing conditions like age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or cataracts.
The evolution of vision correction from a treatment-for-vision perspective to vision preservation for a lifetime represents a significant evolution in eye care. The integration of AI technology into clinical practice is placing the medical community closer to a reality where it is rare for someone to go blind as a result of an avoidable disease. AI and data-driven screening are changing the eye care to save the population from permanent vision loss due to preventable means, said Dr Kandharwar.
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