Researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have introduced a novel approach that leverages artificial intelligence to enhance existing clinical devices for eye examination. This technique transforms standard ophthalmoscopes, typically used to examine the retina, into tools capable of visualizing individual cells, promising more accurate diagnoses.
Johnny Tam, Ph.D., an investigator at NIH's National Eye Institute and senior author of the study published in Communications Medicine, stated: "AI potentially puts next-generation imaging in the hands of standard eye clinics. It’s like adding a high-resolution lens to a basic camera."
Traditionally, ophthalmoscopes create images at the tissue level, identifying structures like lesions and blood vessels. Though advanced equipment with adaptive optics can visualize cellular features, it remains largely experimental. The NIH team developed an artificial intelligence system to enhance images of the retina's pigmented epithelium (RPE). This system was trained using over 1,400 images and demonstrated an eightfold improvement in image clarity.
“Our system used what it learned from rating the images obtained from adaptive optics to digitally enhance images obtained with standard ophthalmoscopy,” Tam said. The technology is capable of leveraging existing feature visibility in standard imaging to offer AI-enhanced images.
The process involves injecting indocyanine green (ICG) dye to enhance contrast in eye imaging. Joanne Li, Ph.D., a biomedical engineer in Tam's lab and first author of the report, emphasized the speed and accessibility of this method: “Our ICG imaging strategy allows RPE cells to be quickly and routinely assessed in the clinic. With AI, high quality images of the RPE cells can be obtained in a matter of seconds, using standard clinical imaging instruments.”
The study has significant implications for detecting diseases impacting RPE cells, like age-related macular degeneration. With artificial intelligence-aided techniques, imaging these cells in a clinic setting becomes feasible.
NEI, the leading federal entity in vision loss research, continues its mission to improve life quality through innovation and collaboration. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), consisting of 27 Institutes and Centers, remains pivotal in advancing medical research in the U.S.
For further details on the study and projects from the NIH, references and additional information can be accessed from NIH platforms.
