Home News EYE SAY: April 18, 2019

EYE SAY: April 18, 2019

AI and Human Graders Work Together in New Screening

Eyenuk, Inc., a global artificial intelligence (AI) medical technology and services company, announced the launch of the EyeScreen™ Human + AI Diagnostic Service for diabetic retinopathy (DR). By combining the high accuracy of AI disease detection with the accepted practice of human grading, the EyeScreen Service is designed to improve the overall safety of the system in contrast to other teleretinal screening services that only use human grading. The announcement was made ahead of the American Telemedicine Association’s (ATA) annual conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

The EyeScreen Human + AI Diagnostic Service connects primary care/diabetes care clinics with eye care specialists and is designed to increase access to diabetic retinopathy screening, reduce wait times and improve patient compliance on receiving necessary screenings. By offering DR screening in clinic, any physician can identify silently progressing diabetic retinopathy sooner and begin intervention faster, thus improving patient outcomes and reducing the incidence of vision loss due to DR.

The EyeScreen Service is a novel approach to disease detection that utilizes independent, unbiased interpretation by a human expert and a validated autonomous AI system that does not rely on humans interpreting complex assistive AI reports. After the retinal images are independently assessed by both the AI disease detection system and specialist human graders separately, an ICD-10 compliant report is sent to the physician. In the event that the AI and human graders disagree, the images are adjudicated by another highly experienced human expert.

“The EyeScreen Service is our unique take on combining expert human grading with a validated autonomous AI system, allowing users to benefit from the best of both worlds,” said Kaushal Solanki, Eyenuk CEO. “We are thrilled to empower physicians with the ability to screen patients in clinic, without requiring dilation, for the best chance of early DR detection.” To learn more, visit eyenuk.com.

Inspiring the Community to Read

Danielle Gordon, OD, of Calgary, Alberta, launched the Fit to Read Project last year to connect children with the benefits of reading. As an OD, she understands how visual issues can impact a child’s ability to read and also succeed in school. The Fit to Read Project is the driving force behind her local book drives, participation in community events and collaborations with local organizations. Click here to read more.

The Risky Sport of…Badminton?

Doubles badminton players may be at greatest risk of potentially serious eye injury during matches compared with singles players, suggests a small study published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Badminton is usually considered safe because it doesn’t involve physical contact. But shuttlecocks are small and dense and usually travel at high speed, and in close proximity to players. And in countries where it is widely played, badminton causes a substantial proportion of sports related eye injuries, say the researchers.

Researchers looked at 85 players—52 men and 33 women, none professional but all experienced players—who suffered an eye injury. In 60 of these cases, the shuttlecock caused the injury; in the others, the racquet was the cause and often resulted in more severe injuries. In 80 cases of injury, one ended in permanent vision loss and a total or five were penetrating injuries. Two injuries caused a retinal detachment, and 26 people required surgery. Click here to read more.

Good News for Calcium Supplement-takers

In a recent issue of JAMA Ophthalmology, a study concluded that eat a calcium-rich diet or taking calcium supplements does not appear to increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration. National Eye Institute (NEI) researchers noted, in fact, that there might be some protective role.

“These latest findings provide no evidence that there is a need to change the management of calcium intake for individuals who are already taking calcium for other medical indications,” said the study’s lead investigator, Emily Chew, MD, director of the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications and the deputy clinical director at NEI.

As participants in the study got older, an association between calcium intake and AMD risk reduction emerged. People with the highest intake of calcium from dietary or supplement sources had a lower risk of developing late-stage AMD compared with those in the lowest calcium intake groups. Click here to read the study.

Physician Moms Responsible for Many Household Tasks Expressed Career Dissatisfaction

This JAMA Surgery report found that those physician moms in procedural specialties (defined as all surgical specialties, anesthesiologists, gastroenterologists and obstetricians-gynecologists) who are primarily responsible for five or more tasks at home more often reported career dissatisfaction. This association wasn’t observed among physician mothers in nonprocedural specialties, says the report.

Study authors suggest a more equitable distribution of household tasks among physician mothers and their spouses/partners or outsourcing these duties might help to sustain physician mothers in practice. Click here to read the study.

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