With artificial intelligence improving at a quick pace, it is becoming a more and more reliable assistant to doctors. Researchers at the Eye Clinic of the University Hospital Bonn, Stanford University and University of Utah, have developed a software which can precisely assess the progression of geographic atrophy (GA), which is an eye disease caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
This innovative approach permits the fully automated measurement of the main atrophic lesions using data from optical coherence tomography, which provides three-dimensional visualization of the structure of the retina. In addition, the research team can precisely determine the integrity of light sensitive cells of the entire central retina and also detect progressive degenerative changes of the so-called photoreceptors beyond the main lesions. The findings will be used to assess the effectiveness of new innovative therapeutic approaches. The study has now been published in the journal "JAMA Ophthalmology".
While there is no effective treatment for geographic atrophy as of the moment, having this software at hand could be a key to predicting the progression of the disease, which may make slowing down of the disease possible.
More details about this over at EurekAlert.
(Image Credit: Universitäts-Augenklinik Bonn/ EurekAlert)
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