A device invented by an Addenbrooke’s eye surgeon to detect cataracts in babies is set to be further improved – thanks to artificial intelligence and a team effort with a Cambridgeshire product development consultancy.
The aim is that midwives will instantly be able to tell whether the photograph they take of a baby’s eye with an invention called Neocam is of high enough quality to make a diagnosis – or whether they simply need to take it again.
The additional functionality is being developed with the help of St Ives-based company 42 Technology (42T), where software engineers are using 46,000 de-identified images of babies’ eyes to train a machine learning model. The work is being progressed thanks partly to a new innovation grant from Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) and with generous support from 42T.
Addenbrooke’s consultant, paediatric ophthalmologist and Neocam inventor, Dr Louise Allen, said:
The aim of Neocam is to make it easier for midwives to detect congenital cataracts in babies, which is the most common cause of preventable childhood blindness.
In this latest development we are drawing on the power of AI, and experts in this field, to enhance Neocam and make it even easier and more reliable to use.
Dr Louise Allen
The development comes as Neocam, a handheld, non-invasive tool that draws on digital camera technology, is tested at maternity units across the UK as part of a trial called the Digital Imaging versus Ophthalmoscopy Study (DIvO study).
It will see more than 140,000 babies at 30 hospitals have their eyes tested with both devices and, although full results are not expected until 2027, several have been diagnosed with rare visual conditions that would have been missed without Neocam.
Working on the study with Dr Allen is Professor Jugnoo Rahi of Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, and senior midwifery lecturer, Lindsey Rose, of Anglia Ruskin University.
Dr Allen said:
We are incredibly grateful to the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) for supporting the multicentre DIvO study of Neocam imaging, and to the 30,000 parents who have agreed to their baby’s participation to date.
This exciting AI development project, which will use thousands of anonymised eye images collected during the study, has been supported by an innovation grant from Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT), and we are delighted to have 42T on board to develop and evaluate this machine learning model.
Dr Louise Allen
ACT CEO Shelly Thake added:
We are extremely pleased to be able to support this latest development with Neocam, which would not be possible without the incredibly generous donations we receive from the public.
ACT CEO Shelly Thake
Sarah Knight, head of healthcare technology at 42T said:
We are delighted to be working with Cambridge University Hospitals on Neocam, which has worldwide potential to change children’s lives for the better. Dr Allen’s invention, and the new AI enhancements, will help clinicians deliver high-quality screening even in rural areas where specialists are not available – in the UK and globally.
Sarah Knight
To learn more visit www.divostudy.org (opens in a new tab).
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