Ophthalmic innovation continues to provide greater insights into eye conditions, but it is also unlocking an ever-expanding array of wider discoveries.
Fundamentally, technology is transforming ophthalmology and NHS Scotland’s workforce can take a lead on grasping its possibilities by identifying new avenues of innovation for high-quality, inclusive eyecare.
However, an NHS eye examination in Scotland is already more than just a test that can detect signs of sight-threatening conditions: it can also detect issues elsewhere in the human body including diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh now believe that 3D eye scans could help track the often symptom-free early onset of kidney disease.
The research team utilised highly magnified images to identify retinal changes, resulting in the conclusion that doing so facilitates a fast, non-invasive method of monitoring kidney health which supports early diagnosis.
Current screening tests are unable to detect the condition until half of the kidney function has been lost, but optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanners quickly create a cross-sectional picture of the retina.
With this technology to hand, the university team found that patients with thinner retinas were suffering chronic kidney disease and this thinning progressed as kidney function declined.
Conversely, the researchers noted that those who received a kidney transplant experienced a rapid thickening of the retina after surgery.
Dr Neeraj Dhaun, Professor of Nephrology at the university, concluded that “the eye is a useful window into the kidney” and the hope now is that the research will help identify more people with early kidney disease.
Going forward, such discoveries hold huge promise for further fostering collaborative partnerships that translate research, development and innovation (R,D&I) into everyday ophthalmic practice.
The future possibilities are incredible: from artificial intelligence (AI) helping to predict a range of conditions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy, to further progress in telehealth that is already allowing patients to remotely send images of the eye to their doctor to triage.
It all goes hand in hand with development of smarter working practices, an example being the ability to analyse daily intraocular pressure (IOP) fluctuations for the detection of glaucoma through the use of smart contact lenses which can transmit data from the eye to a mobile phone. That may be some way off for the NHS, but the technology is already there.
Formal NHS partner InnoScot Health is seeking forward-thinking ophthalmic solutions that can help support the health service to strengthen and make meaningful change in this priority area of its recovery plan.
We believe that the health service’s expert ophthalmologists, and those in support roles, are best placed to identify solutions in a rapidly evolving area.
Encouraging NHS Scotland’s diverse workforce to come up with new ideas that achieve better outcomes in pressured ophthalmology is vital and at the heart of InnoScot Health’s latest innovation call which offers a package of support to health and social care staff.
Forward-thinking staff can be instrumental in making a vital contribution to an eye-opening future.
Robert Rea is Head of Innovation at InnoScot Health
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