AI is ushering in a new era for the diagnosis and treatment of vision loss

Artificial intelligence is radically changing how healthcare providers tackle vision loss, with tools that can be used from diagnosis to treatment and even follow-up care.

One such example is Visilan, which uses smartphone imaging, telemedicine, and AI to screen, diagnose, and monitor patients for vision care.

And with this technology, more of the 1 billion-plus patients who live with vision loss can be treated, Jordan Shuff, executive director and founder of Visilan, said at last month’s World Changing Ideas Summit, cohosted by Fast Company and Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C.

But in this race to expand care, it’s also important to have guardrails in place. To ensure that AI doesn’t diagnose in a vacuum, there are some simple checks incorporated in the process so that a doctor can be pulled in to offer expertise when necessary, Shuff said. 

“We design these [tools] thinking about what is the workflow, who are other people involved, what is all the data involved, and how can we build guardrails so it works alongside a human,” Shuff said.

EVOLUTION OF TOOLS, THINKING

The past decade has seen huge improvements in tools used in healthcare settings, while some of the thinking around providing a broader continuum of care to patients has also evolved, said Gabriel Jones, cofounder and CEO of Proprio, a medical tech company.

“We’re very fortunate to have these tools that enable automation, where that’s the right answer, really to drive better outcomes,” Jones said.

AI can help to be predictive with care—it might help to avoid surgeries in the first place, for example—while its use in the operating room may actually redefine what an outcome is, according to Jones. 

“The implications for how we treat, who we treat, the types of procedures and pathologies we can address—let your mind go, because the pie is way bigger than whatever it looks like today,” he added. “And that’s why it’s a really exciting moment.”

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