AI: Could it help prevent blindness in diabetics?

Artificial intelligence (AI) might soon play a pivotal role in preventing blindness among diabetics by examining eye scans for conditions that can impair vision. Diabetes can lead to a condition known as diabetic retinopathy, a complication that affects the eyes. It's caused by damage to the blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (retina) and often goes unnoticed until it starts to affect vision. If detected early, the progression towards blindness can be significantly reduced or even halted. AI comes into the picture as a groundbreaking tool for early detection. With its capability to analyze vast amounts of data quickly and with high precision, AI technology can examine detailed eye scans for early signs of diabetic retinopathy much more efficiently than the human eye. Traditionally, ophthalmologists manually review these scans to check for symptoms indicative of the condition. However, this is not only time-consuming but also heavily depends on the availability of specialists, which can be a significant limitation in under-resourced or rural areas. The process involves training AI systems using thousands of eye scan images that are annotated to highlight the features associated with diabetic retinopathy. Through machine learning, the AI system learns to identify these features in new scans, potentially flagging early signs of the condition that a human might miss. The hope is that by using AI to supplement the expertise of ophthalmologists, it will be possible to screen a larger number of patients with greater accuracy and efficiency. The introduction of AI in the fight against