Now, there is an app to detect kids' eye diseases
What's the story
Young kids often find it hard to express health problems, like when they are having breathing or vision troubles. It is a problem that most parents have to deal with, but a group of researchers has now come up with a solution - an app that uses camera photos to flag critical eye diseases. Here's all you need to know about it.
App
CRADLE: The way to detect eye problems
Dubbed CRADLE or Computer Assisted Detector of Leukoria, the app in question uses sophisticated machine learning algorithms to flag early signs of "white eye" reflections in human eye photographs. It compares the photographic data with information learned about white eye reflections and ultimately indicates the possibility of critical eye issues, including cataract, retinoblastoma, and others.
Performance
And, it's much better than real doctors (!)
CRADLE not only flags eye diseases but also beats doctors in doing that. It was tested on 53,000 photos of 40 children, 20 of whom had eye problems, and was able to detect 16 cases at an average of 1.3 years sooner than what a doctor would diagnose. This can easily reduce the impact of retinoblastoma, which migrates to the brain in six months.
Important
This can work for any age group
While the app would come handy for diagnosing kids' eye diseases, there is no restriction on its use. This means it can even be used to look for eye problems in the photos of adults or older people. Not to mention, the analysis of the app will also help people deal with their misconceptions and save an unnecessary trip to the doctor.
Fact
FDA approval is still pending
You can start using CRADLE by downloading it on your Android or iOS device. However, do keep in mind that the app is not FDA-approved and you may still have to visit a doctor to confirm its analysis. This means, if something shows up in CRADLE's test, you could go to the doctor and get a proper checkup and treatment done on time.