AI helps spot early signs of glaucoma progression to blindness

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), researchers have developed a quick test to identify which people with glaucoma are at risk of rapid progression to blindness.
A new test can detect glaucoma progression 18 months earlier than the current gold standard method, said the study published in the journal Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics.
Glaucoma, the leading global cause of irreversible blindness, affects over 60 million people, which is predicted to double by 2040 as the global population ages.
Loss of sight in glaucoma is caused by the death of cells in the retina, at the back of the eye. “Being able to diagnose glaucoma at an earlier stage, and predict its course of progression, could help people to maintain their sight, as treatment is most successful if provided at an early stage of the disease,” said study first author Eduardo Normando from Imperial College London. The damaged cells appear bright white when viewed in eye examinations — the more damaged cells detected, the higher the DARC count. (IANS)