Diabetes and age-related eye diseases are common reasons people lose their vision in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 37 million Americans have diabetes, and nearly 96 million more have prediabetes. Diabetic retinopathy can cause blindness if it is not found or treated in time. People in underserved groups, especially Latino\/x communities, have higher risks and face more challenges getting eye screenings.<\/p>\n
An example is the LifeLong Medical Care health center in Richmond, California. Before using AI tools, fewer than 10% of diabetic patients there got yearly diabetic retinopathy screenings. This low rate is common in many community clinics in the US because of transportation problems, language differences, and complex healthcare systems.<\/p>\n
New technology is making it easier and more accurate to diagnose eye diseases. Spect, a Silicon Valley start-up, made a small eye exam device that uses an iPhone with a special camera to check for diabetes eye problems right in primary care clinics. Medical assistants or doctors can take good retinal pictures without a specialist nearby.<\/p>\n
Clinics using Spect have seen big improvements. At the Richmond clinic, diabetic eye exam rates went from 10% to 40% in one year. Specialists help by reviewing images remotely and giving reports quickly. This lets primary care providers offer screenings without knowing a lot about eye diseases while still making sure patients get care.<\/p>\n
The California Health Care Foundation gave $475,000 to Spect\u2019s technology to help people in underserved, mainly monolingual Latino\/x areas, many living in rural places. Non-specialized staff can run the device, which lowers costs and makes screening easier and possible on a larger scale.<\/p>\n
Besides portable devices in clinics, new home-based systems let people check their eyes often without visiting the doctor. For diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD), especially the wet form (nAMD), finding problems early is very important to avoid vision loss. These home devices use AI and remote retinal imaging to watch disease progress outside the clinic.<\/p>\n
One example is the ForeseeHome system by Notal Vision, which the FDA approved and Medicare covers. ForeseeHome uses AI to detect early changes when intermediate AMD turns into nAMD. A clinical trial with over 1,500 patients showed it works well and stopped early because of clear benefits. Patients using ForeseeHome kept their vision much more often than those with usual care.<\/p>\n
Nearly 40,000 patients across the country have used this system for remote monitoring. Other tools include myVisionTrack, a mobile app finding small visual changes, and Heru Prime, a wearable device that cuts exam times by about one-third. These tools help patients watch their eye health more often with AI support, making treatments more timely.<\/p>\n
AI not only helps doctors make faster diagnoses but can also find other health problems besides eye diseases. Machine learning can look at retinal images and find signs for conditions like heart disease, Parkinson\u2019s, and early Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Dr. Michael Leung from Spect called the eye a \u201ccheck engine light of the body.\u201d The retina shows unique details about blood vessels and nerves. This means AI could turn eye exams into a way to check overall health in primary care.<\/p>\n
New AI programs approved by the FDA, like LumineticsCore and EyeArt, show better accuracy and speed for diabetic retinopathy screening. These systems help doctors by grading images automatically, making clinics run smoother and patients get care sooner.<\/p>\n
AI also changes how clinics work every day. For medical leaders and IT teams, using AI can cut down paperwork, move patients through faster, and improve how clinics run.<\/p>\n
In eye care, AI can analyze images, spot urgent cases, set appointments, and help with referrals. This helps clinics handle more patients without lowering care quality.<\/p>\n
Remote monitoring centers have specialists who review AI alerts. This model fits well with normal clinic work and lets providers care for more patients without overloading staff.<\/p>\n
Spect\u2019s system gives real-time virtual support so people without eye specialist training can perform eye exams. Home OCT devices with AI allow patients to scan their eyes by themselves, helping create personalized treatment plans for nAMD.<\/p>\n
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