DeepMind AI matches experts at detecting over 50 eye diseases

The research, which appears in Nature Medicine, applied deep learning techniques to thousands of historical anonymised retinal scans. Following this training, the AI system was able to recommend the correct referral decision for over 50 eye diseases with 94 per cent accuracy, matching the performance of the top medical experts in the field. With nearly 300 million people around the world living with some form of sight loss, it is hoped the work could help doctors and eye professionals spot serious conditions earlier and prioritise patient treatment.

“The number of eye scans we’re performing is growing at a pace much faster than human experts are able to interpret them,” said Dr Pearse Keane, consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and National Institute for Health Research clinician scientist at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology. “There is a risk that this may cause delays in the diagnosis and treatment of sight-threatening diseases, which can be devastating for patients.