Transforming functional vision testing with artificial intelligence with active learning and hierarchical Bayesian modeling
Research Institute / Research Centre Seminar
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Date
24 Feb 2025
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Organiser
Research Centre for SHARP Vision
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Time
10:00 - 11:30
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Venue
PQ304, 3/F, Wing PQ, PolyU Map
Speaker
Prof. LU Zhong-Lin
Enquiry
Miss Esther Cheung 3400 2312 info.rcsv@polyu.edu.hk
Summary
Vision loss and poor eye health are major public health challenges. A 2016 report estimates that 90 million of the 142 million Americans over 40 have vision issues such as AMD, cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. Current vision tests, however, fail to accurately capture what people actually see, complicating both diagnosis and treatment.
Prof. Lu’s team is addressing this gap by applying Bayesian active learning to create a new generation of vision tests that measure visual thresholds, contrast sensitivity (qCSF), visual acuity (qVA), dark adaptation (qCD), visual field (qVFM), and reading speed (qReading) with significantly greater precision and efficiency than existing methods. For example, the team’s qCSF test detects contrast sensitivity deficits in patients with normal visual acuity, highlighting its potential for early disease detection.
By incorporating hierarchical Bayesian modeling, the team has further enhanced the precision and statistical power of these tests and developed a collective endpoint analysis framework to combine data from multiple modalities for better clinical decisions.
The team’s goal is to build a platform that integrates these advanced tests and models to improve the accuracy and efficiency of visual assessments, enhance clinical trials, and ultimately deliver better therapies and outcomes for eye health worldwide.
Keynote Speaker
Prof. LU Zhong-Lin
Professor of Neural Science and Psychology, New York University
Professor of Neural Science and Psychology, New York University Shanghai
Prof. Lu Zhong-Lin is a Professor of Neuroscience at NYU Shanghai, and a Global Network Professor at the Center for Neural Science at NYU. Lu joined NYU Shanghai in 2019 from the Ohio State University, where he was the College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Professor of Psychology, Optometry, and Translational Data Analytics, and Director of the Center for Cognitive and Brain Sciences and the Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging. Lu is a fellow of the Society of Experimental Psychologists and the Association for Psychological Science. He is also a co-founder of Adaptive Sensory Technology, Inc., a company that is devoted to transforming eye care with precision measurement. A physicist by training, Lu obtained a B.S. in theoretical physics from the University of Science and Technology of China in 1989, and earned his Ph.D. in physics at NYU in 1992. He was an Assistant Researcher in Cognitive Science at the University of California, Irvine from 1992 to 1996. He joined University of Southern California as an Assistant Professor of Psychology in 1996, rising to Professor of Psychology and Biomedical Engineering in 2005 and William M. Keck Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience in 2006. He was co-Director of the Dana and David Dornsife Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Center at USC before joining the Ohio State University in 2011.
