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It already exists. Most opticians take a image of your retina and store it in the cloud for further analysis and tracking the evolution. In Spain (where I live
by logronoide 9y ago
It already exists. Most opticians take a image of your retina and store it in the cloud for further analysis and tracking the evolution.
In Spain (where I live) most opticians do not charge anything for this test, because it’s a minimal part of a typical prescription.
- froindt 9y agoThat's like a $40 upcharge at my optometrist (USA). But she is a good family friend, walks me through everything she's seeing on there, and gives me glowing compliments on how beautiful my optical nerve is. It sounds stupid, but I'm going to miss that when I go to my new optometrist.
- cortesoft 9y agoYeah, but I have great eyesight and haven't been to an optician in 15 years. However, I might still be at risk of a heart attack.
- logronoide 9y agoYou don’t need to visit an optician. A family doctor with a lantern can do it (and normally they do). It’s a very simple test. It’s not a ML or AI challenge at all.
- mkagenius 9y agoBut if you have AI, you do not need the optician/doctor. For example people in Poor countries have no access to such a person.
- JustSomeNobody 9y agoI don't think anyone would say don't build the AI/ML. Just that the technology already exists. Until then, people should continue to see their eye Dr when one is available to them.
- txcwpalpha 9y agoThere are a few startups/companies that specialize in going to poor countries and using lens attachments on cell phones to do eye exams. They send in people who aren't doctors, take a picture of the eye, and email/upload the pictures to doctors who can analyze it for issues. IIRC, in those situations, the problem isn't the accessibility to a doctor, but rather the accessibility to someone who has a device capable of imaging the eye. I imagine this would be the same. Replacing the doctor with an AI doesn't really solve the problem.
- skybrian 9y agoBut it might make it cheaper and more consistent. It's the same advantage as automating anything else.
- squiggleblaz 9y agoIt might be way easy to sell to a nineteen year old looking for a gap year activity. "Go to PNG, meet some people, save their life. Look, you just take a photo, and minutes later it says 'They need help'". The doctor reading the image is going to take days or who knows how long.
- candiodari 9y agoImaging the retina is not something that can be done by holding a phone to your eye, unless I'm mistaken. So you'd still need the optician/doctor, if only because they have necessary equipment.
- JustSomeNobody 9y agoYou might also be at risk for blindness! Please, please, please go see an eye Dr! It's isn't just about how clear your vision is. These are your eyes.
- ridgeguy 9y agoYes! Just to name one, glaucoma doesn't degrade vision in its early stages (when it's more easily treatable). There are so many things that can happen to your vision, at high life cost. Get your vision checked regularly.