In this grant application we propose to develop a screening tool for Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) - the single largest cause for legal blindness among aged Americans. A robust screening test that can be performed by a primary care physician or an optometrist, who can then refer the patient to an ophthalmologist, will be a useful first step in casting a wider net and helping reduce the toll of severe vision loss with timely intervention and patient education. Large, multi-center studies Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) and AREDS2 have shown that vitamin supplements along with minerals and antioxidants slow progression of the disease in patients with intermediate AMD, and those with late AMD in one eye. Identifying the at-risk population for advanced AMD who might benefit from the supplements in a timely manner is a growing problem with the aging baby boomers. The proposed tool, EyeSeeAMD, will analyze color retinal fundus images from a patient, automatically detect the various pathologies associated with AMD, quantify them and recommend if the patient needs to be referred to an expert for further evaluation. We have promising preliminary results in drusen detection, detailed plans for developing the envisioned device, and excellent clinical, research, and engineering teams to guarantee success of the project.
The proposed tool, EyeSeeAMD, will help in triaging age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients who are at higher risk to progress to late AMD by providing an automated method for screening the growing aged-population in a non-invasive manner. Timely intervention will help slow the progression of AMD in such patients. Easy quantification of AMD pathological indicators will spur clinical research and drug discovery process by facilitating early and reliable measurement of efficacy of novel treatment methods.
