News Feature | July 15, 2016

Partnership Eyes Machine Learning Technology To Fight Macular Degeneration

Christine Kern

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

Machine Learning

Google DeepMind and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust team up for sight.

Google DeepMind announced a partnership with Moorfields Eye Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust that aims to determine whether or not machine learning technology can be used to analyze eye scans for earlier detection and interventions for eye degeneration. Google bought DeepMind in 2014 in a move to expand its artificial intelligence presence.

The collaboration is the result of efforts by Pearse Keane, a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields, who contact DeepMind regarding a partnership to help conquer diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which combined affect more than 625,000 people in the U.K. and over 100 million individuals across the globe. The goal of the project is to create a digital tool that can read eye-scans and quickly recognize abnormalities.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness in the U.K. “Every single day — in the U.K. alone — nearly 200 people lose sight from the severe, blinding form of this condition and globally the number of people with AMD is set to rise to nearly 200 million by 2020," DeepMind officials said.

The new collaboration will investigate how machine learning can make identification and treatment of these conditions easier by analyzing digital eye scans more efficiently and effectively. Leading to earlier detection and intervention and ultimately to better patient outcomes.

The collaboration brings a set of one million anonymized eye scans and related anonymous information about eye conditions and disease management from Moorfields, which will be combined with the machine learning technology from Google to improve future care.

Google DeepMind explains, “It’s early days for this work, but we’re optimistic about the long-term potential for machine learning technology to help eye health professionals diagnose and treat other diseases that, like macular degeneration, affect the lives of millions of people across the world.”