Eye screening using novel device
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Validation of an artificial intelligence model for diabetic retinopathy screening using a smart-phone based fundus camera in the UK population
IRAS ID
290308
Contact name
Edward Jude
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care FT
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 3 days
Research summary
Validation of an artificial intelligence model for diabetic retinopathy screening using a smart-phone based fundus camera in the UK population
The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in the UK is on the rise. Within 20 years of diabetes diagnosis, nearly all people with type 1 and almost two thirds of people with type 2 diabetes (60%) have some degree of DR. NHS guidelines mandate annual DR screening in all patients aged 12 and above to prevent complications of DR. Screening for DR in England involves labour-intensive manual grading of retinal images through the teleophthalmology platform. Automated retinal image analysis systems with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) may offer an alternative to manual grading.
AI can also lead to a wider population getting screened if it can take place at the point-of-care at the level of GPs and family physicians. Another context where this would be of tremendous impact in the COVID-19 and post COVID-19 era would be to conduct at-home screening/nursing home screening of the vulnerable elderly population with diabetes. To be able to implement this in every GP clinic or to provide at home-screening, the need of the hour is a portable, hand-held, cost effective fundus camera with integrated ‘offline’ (without the need of internet) AI that can identify patients that would need referral to an ophthalmologist.
We aim to demonstrate the performance of this diabetic retinopathy screening algorithm among diabetic patients in the UK by taking images of the back of the eye using a smartphone-based fundus camera in GP clinics over a period of 4 months. If the results are favorable, it can lead to a paradigm shift in screening wherein screening can be done at the point-of-care reducing the burden of an ophthalmologist and improving the overall efficiency of the DR screening system.REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
21/WA/0258
Date of REC Opinion
11 Nov 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion