An inexpensive retinal camera with comprehensive diagnostic abilities, developed by the University of Notre Dame Australia, has proved successful in an extended trial at two remote communities in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.

Results for the device, the TeleEye Scan, saw multiple serious health conditions detected that had not been previously diagnosed, the University of Notre Dame said.

The eye screening system uses artificial intelligence to instantly detect a range of conditions including glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy with 95% accuracy.

Notre Dame Chair of Digital Health and Telemedicine, Professor Yogi Yogesan, who helped develop the system, said the patient puts their head on the camera’s chin rest, “and it will automatically take photos of both eyes, and then it (the AI) will give feedback in seconds as to whether they will have to be referred to an ophthalmologist”.

The trial saw approximately 60 residents from the Muludja and Bawoorrooga communities near Fitzroy Crossing screened by Prof Yogesan and his team.

About half of the participants were found to have an undiagnosed eye condition. Ten people were diagnosed with serious conditions requiring urgent treatment to prevent blindness.

“What is truly transformative about this technology is that it enables us to bring quality healthcare to the community, rather than expecting community members to travel thousands of kilometres to access services at a major regional hospital,” Prof Yogesan said.

“In fact, some community members we saw had never had their eyes screened due to that tyranny of distance.”

The trial was coordinated by the Foundation for Indigenous Sustainable Health (FISH) and TeleMedC Australia.

During the trial, community members were trained on how to use the technology themselves for when researchers were not on site, with a trial device left in the region for use in other communities by Aboriginal health workers.