Health

AI technology could help detect eye conditions in children

By Mallika Marshall, MD

August 7, 2024 / 5:49 PM EDT / CBS Boston

Study shows AI could help detect eye conditions in children

BOSTON - Smartphones could help identify eye disorders in children.

In a new study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers in China examined more than 1,400 facial photographs from nearly 500 children and developed an artificial intelligence model that can accurately detect three common pediatric eye conditions: myopia or nearsightedness, strabismus or "crossed eyes", and ptosis or drooping of the upper eyelid.

They say one day parents will be able to take photographs of their kids at home to screen for these eye issues and perhaps others, allowing for early treatment and intervention.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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