Scottish researchers dey work on new AI tool wey fit help opticians for street to catch early signs of dementia. Photos wey dem take of retina for back of eye fit show how brain dey healthy, and with AI software fit analyze am, scientists fit jubilee signs of disease before person go even feel any symptom. The NeurEYE research team don gather almost a million eye scans from opticians for Scotland – di largest data set for di world – and with AI help dem don build algorithm wey fit check how di blood vessels for eye dey behave, wey fit show if any neurogenerative disease dey come. Di database wey dem build fit apply to photos wey dem take during regular eye check-ups, and e fit help doctors prevent disease or catch am very early before e go serious. Di blood vessels for eye dey small-small, so dem fit show condition early pass other body parts. Di NeurEYE team dey led by University of Edinburgh, plus researchers from Glasgow Caledonian University. Baljean Dhillon, wey be professor of Clinical Ophthalmology for University of Edinburgh and NeurEYE co-lead, talk say: “Di eye fit tell us plenty things wey we no expect. Di retina get plenty info and be like biological barometer for our brain health. We fit see di retina with simple, cheap equipment wey dey for every street for UK and beyond. Just simple photo of retina fit help predict brain change for future.” Dementia dey stop person brain cells from working well, e dey affect how dem dey remember, think and speak. According to Dementia UK, e dey affect one for every 14 people wey don pass 65, and one for every six people wey don pass 80. Conditions like Alzheimer’s disease fit lead to memory loss, confusion or wahala.
