By Carrie Cox
New AI-powered eye screening technology is delivering hope to remote Aboriginal communities in the State’s far north where vision loss from diabetic retinopathy is 14 times more likely to occur than in non-Aboriginal populations.
Diabetic retinopathy is an eye condition that causes vision loss and blindness in people with diabetes. Early detection can slow down and sometimes stop its progression.
The new AI screening technology is being delivered in Pilbara communities by Lions Outback Vision, which was founded by Associate Professor Angus Turner from The University of Western Australia’s Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science.
Associate Professor Turner partnered with Google Health, which developed the AI software, to test its effectiveness in a study involving 864 Aboriginal patients in WA.
Image: Associate Professor Angus Turner .
The results, which earned Associate Professor Turner a 2023 National Health and Medical Research Award by Research Australia, showed the AI screening performance was equal to and often better than retinal specialists in diagnosing diabetic retinopathy in Aboriginal patients.
The AI system, which has not previously been used for routine diabetic retinopathy screening in Australia, works in real time with an operator taking photos of the eyes and uploading them to a machine learning algorithm that delivers immediate results for the patient.
The speed and accuracy of the technology inspired Associate Professor Turner to roll it out in the Pilbara using a screening van that can service remote communities with traditionally poor access to health services.
The mobile service launched in August 2023 and is officially known as Warlu AI, a name that received Elder endorsement and relates to the Dreaming story of the Warlu sea serpent as it emerged from the sea and travelled through the Pilbara region.
Associate Professor Turner said deployment of the van had made an immediate difference to screening rates and patient awareness in regional and remote places.
“The Sprinter van and this new technology gives us the opportunity to spend more time in remote locations that we’ve normally only visited briefly,” he said.
“It gives us the chance to build the trust that you need with the community, and to spend more time with people to make sure they really understand the risk of losing their eyesight if they don’t keep up with regular eye checks.”
Associate Professor Turner said the Warlu AI project had positive implications for the detection of other health conditions in remote communities.
“The eye can also tell us about the kidneys and the heart because we can see the veins and arteries in the eye,” he said.
“We’re in a unique position now to collaborate with leaders in foundation models to fine-tune systems in a real-world environment, using retinal photos to determine the risks of other health issues such as anaemia, cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease.”
Lions Outback Vision manager Christine Stott said the organisation’s work over many years to grow on-the-ground relationships in Aboriginal communities had been critical to the take-up and reception of Warlu AI.
“We engage leadership from the Elders and the Aboriginal health workers to learn how we can best deliver the service to Aboriginal people,” Ms Stott said.
“These relationships have been built up over many years and are absolutely essential to what we do.
“For example, in the screening van the door needs to be shut to keep the light out, and we realised it might make women feel uncomfortable to be alone in there with an operator, so we talked to the Elders and they said that women could come with a friend or family member or health worker.”
Ms Stott said Warlu AI was one of 10 projects taking part in the WA Government’s ‘Pilbara Challenge’, a 12-month proof-of-concept contest for world-leading research projects that improve health delivery in the Pilbara. The winner will be announced in October.