AI "doctor" examines eyes in 8 seconds

This application was used by Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital to screen for glaucoma for free for about 500 people, from March 12-29, on the occasion of World Glaucoma Week (March 10-16).

This is AI software researched and developed by Dr. Pham Thi Thuy Tien, Master of Information Technology Ho Phuong Thanh Tai and 4 doctors of the hospital. The software screens for glaucoma by taking color photos of the optic disc to detect the disease early, with a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 93%. The application won second prize at the Ho Chi Minh City Innovation Award, August 2023.

According to Dr. Tien, in the past, to screen a glaucoma patient, the hospital had to arrange a lot of staff and the patient had to wait 15-20 minutes to complete the diagnosis. For example, every year to screen about 300 people during World Glaucoma Week, the hospital had to mobilize 10 specialists and 20 nurses to examine in one session (4 hours). Thus, the doctor had to spend 40 hours to examine only 300 people. Organizational issues such as reception, patient admission, storage, logistics, and security also required 30 people to support.

Furthermore, the examination also depends on the doctor's experience and the patient's cooperation during the examination. Dr. Tien and the research team shared the same concern: "How can this screening be standardized and how can it be screened for many patients without requiring a lot of human resources?" The doctors wanted to develop an AI algorithm that could detect glaucoma using optic disc images as well as a glaucoma specialist and could diagnose remotely, where there is no ophthalmologist available.

From the old fundus image database that was only used by doctors treating patients, the research team and IT engineers developed the EyeDr software. This 4.0 technology application uses the fundus image database of Vietnamese patients to screen for glaucoma.

With EyeDr, patients do not have to wait long, it only takes about 8-10 seconds to get the results of the optic disc color image. The human resources for the software screening examination only need 7 people compared to 30 staff if the screening is done directly. Put into application since 2023, the software has been upgraded, adding the intraocular pressure feature, helping to detect people with early-stage glaucoma who do not have signs of damage to the optic disc.

Glaucoma is a serious public health threat. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in the world, second only to cataracts. The disease progresses silently, especially in its early stages. About 50% of patients in developed countries and 90% of patients in developing countries are unaware that they have the disease.

Early detection and timely treatment can help patients avoid complications of blindness. The rate of early detection of glaucoma in Vietnam is currently low due to the lack of timely and appropriate screening methods.