If discovered early, diabetic eye disease can be treated before it leads to blindness.
Now Google is developing an Artificial Intelligence diagnostic tool that can be used in a primary care physician's office. The AI tool is capable of rapidly reviewing eye scans and sorting out which patients need treatment for diabetic retinopathy.
Worldwide, about 415 million people are at risk for diabetic retinopathy. In a country such as India, with 70 million diabetics, many patients in rural areas don't have access to specialists. The new AI tool could identify their risk at their physician's office, before they are in danger of losing eyesight.
The Google team hopes diagnosing diabetic eye disease will one day be as easy as taking a temperature.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
