The AI Research achievements in Ophthalmology by He University’s was shared at the 17th Joint Meeting of Chinese-Japanese-Korean Ophthalmologists

Date：November 27, 2024 
He University’s WeChat Official Account：https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/IvlaaEtWCNA_yrQWfSxHwQ

    With the rapid advancements in medical technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is gradually transforming the ways diseases are diagnosed and treated. Visible, tangible and perceptible smart medical scenes are coming to life.With the rapid advancements in medical technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is gradually transforming the ways diseases are diagnosed and treated. Visible, tangible and perceptible smart medical scenes are coming to life.

    Recently, at the 17th Joint Meeting of China-Japan-Korea Ophthalmologists, Sile Yu, Vice President of He University and Dean of the School of Public Health, shared the research findings on the “Impact Assessment of AI-Assisted Portable Slit Lamps on Primary Ophthalmic Medical Services in Rural Areas”. He Eye Specialist Hospital’s AI-based services for grassroots eye care has become a typical case, attracting widespread attention and praise from ophthalmologists both domestically and internationally.

Empowering with AI to bridge the last mile of primary eye health services.

    In China, the majority of cataract patients live in the rural areas. Due to the uneven distribution of medical resources, many cataract patients in rural areas are unable to access timely, effective, and high-quality medical services. Some patients may go blind due to delayed treatment, which not only affects their normal life but also brings burden to their families and society.

    To address the shortcomings in the diagnostic and treatment capabilities of grassroots medical institutions, provide more effective and convenient eye health services for rural patients, and enable smart healthcare accessible to the public, He Eye Specialist Hospital offers portable slit lamps (iSpector) to rural doctors for primary eye health screening. The compact and portable iSpector can be installed on a smartphone to take photos of the patient's eyes and provides a preliminary diagnosis of cataracts through artificial intelligence algorithms.

    The research result shows that the application of iSpector in rural cataract screening can effectively increase the detection rate, referral rate, and surgical rate, thereby truly addressing the issue of insufficient timely and effective treatment for cataracts in rural areas. Taking the practical application of artificial intelligence technology as its breakthrough point, this research provides a new solution for improving the primary cataract prevention and treatment levels and reducing blindness rate caused by cataracts globally.

Technology for Good: Promoting the Global Accessibility of Digital and Smart Blindness Prevention Technologies and Expertise.

    In the era of the Internet for everything, driven by the dual forces of technology iteration and integration, the health of each individual will receive tremendous attention and care.

    With years of experience and practice in the field of eye health, He Eye Specialist Hospital has established a three-tiered eye care service model, dedicated to the early prevention, early diagnosis, and early treatment of eye diseases. Under this model, in recent years, He Eye Specialist Hospital has focused on addressing the health needs of the grassroots population. By deeply integrating new technologies such as cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence, He Eye Specialist Hospital has promoted the interconnection of medical information and integrated the three-tiered eye care network. By leveraging the smart eye care stations jointly-built with rural areas, He Eye Specialist Hospital has improved the monitoring capacity of eye diseases and chronic diseases at the grassroots level and strengthened the primary eye care network through innovative technology  applications and training for grassroots doctors. As a result, to provide grassroots people more convenient, efficient, and accurate access to eye care services, and to reduce poverty and  re-degradation to poverty caused by illness and to contribute to rural revitalization.

    At the same time, He Eye Specialist Hospital is actively promoting blindness prevention technology and experience of China's ophthalmology internationally. Through talent cultivation, technology sharing, and the establishment of blindness prevention models, and with the help of innovative technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence, it promotes the implementation of blindness prevention models based on artificial intelligence and big data analysis and high-tech talent training models in African countries, enhancing the grassroots eye health services capabilities in these countries, and contributing the wisdom and strength Chinese ophthalmology to the global development of eye health.

    At present, He Eye Specialist Hospital, He University and He Eye Industrial Group which was founded by Dr. Wei He, a returned medical doctor, along with his team are leveraging the resource advantages of He’s "Bright City" ecosystem to promote collaborative innovation and joint development. They are focusing on the global cutting-edge technology to continuously advance new models, technologies, services and talents, for the purpose of building a comprehensive eye health management platform worldwide. They have utilized their ophthalmic devices in 120 countries and protected human eye health through digital and AI technology.