Currently, glaucoma is diagnosed by a 30-minute eye pressure test performed by an ophthalmologist. A new AI-powered test takes just 10 seconds to show whether there is a risk of glaucoma , making it ideal for preventing this disease that affects some 80 million people worldwide.
Prevention
A new rapid detection test for glaucoma could help promote early detection of the disease, one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness. Developed by a research team of engineers and ophthalmologists led by RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, the test uses infrared sensors to monitor eye movement and can produce accurate results in seconds .
Lead researcher Dinesh Kumar has pointed out that early diagnosis and treatment could help prevent blindness, so making detection faster and more accessible is critical.
The pioneering technology differentiates between glaucoma and healthy eyes by analyzing changes in pupil size. In the study, published in IEEE Access , students were measured 60 times per second using a low-cost commercial eye tracker.
In ambient light conditions, patients looked at a computer screen while custom software measured and analyzed specific changes in the size of their pupils. Finally, the software compared the results with existing glaucoma samples and healthy eyes to determine glaucoma risk .