The eye of the future
The Centre for Eye Research, Melbourne (CERA) is doing bionic eye research and trials, UNSW biomedical engineering, also home of UNSW Optometry.
Presbyopia correction by intraocular lenses that can reshape themselves is the goal of some adaptive optics experiments to produce or simulate this outcome. Many people with neurodegenerative diseases have problems with their vision. So screening tools for earlier detection of Alzheimer’s disease will develop. Advances in biometrics suggest that eye scans could be replacing physical tickets or serve as signs of identification. Prototype contact lenses being developed controlled by the eye’s movements, where wearers can make the lenses zoom in or out by simply blinking, could have applications to other prosthetics.
Alzheimer’s disease
Both Alzheimer’s disease and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have been linked with amyloid-beta Aβ proteins.
By collecting vitreous samples of Aβ levels from AMD patients and monitoring changes compared to the results from healthy individuals,at-risk individuals can be identified before the actual symptoms of sight loss occur.
OCTA scans of healthy people versus those scans of people with Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairments have been studied.
The scans of people with Alzheimer’s revealed a diagnostic loss of certain small retinal blood vessels and a thinning of a specific layer of the retina. Also, OCTA scans revealed that the innermost retina layer was thinner in people with a family history of Alzheimer’s.
The retina is an extension of the brain, which shares many similarities; the tissue suggests that deterioration in one mirrors the other.
Such techniques as MRI, angiography will evolve for high-resolution “real-time” images of the visual pathways from the eye all the way back to the vision centres in the brain. It will shed light on many eye and systemic conditions.
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common acquired chronic neurological disease, often affecting young female adults.
Demyelination causes functional loss in nerve cells. An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan can show areas of scarring and inflammation.
A lumbar puncture (spinal tap) and electrophysiological tests can be analysed to conduct nerve impulses.
Symptoms include
Loss of coordination and sensation, Handshaking, loss of bladder control, vertigo, Clumsiness, extreme fatigue, Speech difficulties, Handshaking.
Also, tremors, tingling, vision and memory impairments.
The body can repair myelin, and individuals can recover well from MS attacks. However, for some, recovery can sometimes be incomplete, or symptoms can worsen over time.
Serial blood tests could track brain injury, potentially detecting Alzheimer’s, MS earlier before the full manifestation of symptoms.
Machine learning
The future looks promising for advanced countries, but it is also imperative to lift the usage and availability of distance or near-vision glasses as appropriate, which has been shown to lift productivity most cost-effectively in the developing world. By studying patients’ genetic makeup with such conditions as uveitis or glaucoma, ways to predict disease progression can be identified for all. Such techniques as MRI, angiography will evolve for high-resolution “real-time” images of the visual pathways from the eye all the way back to the vision centres in the brain. It will shed light on many eye and systemic conditions. Increasingly the future eye will benefit from wearables as smart contact lenses that can monitor blood-sugar levels and technology algorithms, e.g. machine learning from employing huge data sets of eye images used to detect diabetic retinopathy.
The future looks promising for advanced countries, but it is also imperative to lift the usage and availability of distance or near-vision glasses as appropriate, which has been shown to lift productivity most cost-effectively in the developing world. By studying patients’ genetic makeup with such conditions as uveitis or glaucoma, ways to predict disease progression can be identified for all. Increasingly the future eye will benefit from wearables as smart contact lenses that can monitor blood-sugar levels and technology algorithms, e.g. machine learning from employing huge data sets of eye images used to detect diabetic retinopathy.