RCSV develops AI-powered portable camera to screen for diabetic retinopathy

PolyU and OPTICAL 88 launched the “AI Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) Screening Research Project” in March 2024. The project aims to provide DR screening for 300 individuals at high risk of DR through the use of an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled self-testing retinal fundus camera invented by Prof. HE Mingguang, Director of the Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV) and Chair Professor of Experimental Ophthalmology, and his team.

Diabetic retinopathy has ocular manifestations in the retinal fundus, and taking camera images of the retina can help diagnose DR. The camera invented by the team enables DR screening to be conducted by users at clinics on a small scale and at low cost. The camera can automatically identify and analyse retinal fundus images, with a proven accuracy of 98.9% in detecting referrable DR. This innovation is helping to relieve the financial and manpower burden on Hong Kong’s public health care sector. OPTICAL 88 is the first optical chain in Hong Kong to employ the PolyU-led innovation, and two of its retail shops are already equipped with the system.