Accessing regular healthcare in remote towns and communities can be a significant challenge. But medical specialists operating a roving eye treatment service in Western Australia say artificial intelligence is now delivering more accurate diagnoses, and not just for eye conditions.
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00:00For more than a decade, this mobile eye clinic has been visiting remote communities all over Western Australia, filling gaps in health services.
00:10But now the clinic has a powerful new tool.
00:13For the last year we've been doing a trial to look at how to diagnose diabetic retinopathy at the back of the eye with AI.
00:23Using artificial intelligence, a special camera is used to take a picture of a patient's retina, which can reveal early warnings to specialists about eye diseases and potential future blindness.
00:33The photo is analysed by the AI software, identifying symptoms for a range of conditions.
00:39The AI diagnosis is actually better than a doctor.
00:43Before it required sending a photograph away for a few weeks to get checked by a human doctor, but now anyone can get this diagnosis on the spot.
00:52David Goldsmith is a diabetic who has been receiving treatment for his eyes for several years.
00:57He says without this new service he would have to fly to Perth.
01:01I would have to fly to Perth under a PAT scheme and spend a day in Perth.
01:06Every month?
01:07Every month.
01:08When I was living in Perth we used to go to the St Charles Gardner Hospital and you would turn up for 9 o'clock and it would be an all day event just to wait for the ophthalmologist.
01:21The AI technology has made the process a lot faster.
01:2520 minutes and I'm back out of the door.
01:28It also has applications beyond eye health.
01:31The artificial intelligence is actually detecting things that are going on in the heart and in the brain.
01:37So this incredible breakthrough is that the eye photo really is showing us a whole body health snapshot.
01:45There are hopes the technology can also be used in primary health care, offering remote communities access to regular and faster diagnosis.
01:52But before that can happen it needs approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.