In the Province of Luxembourg, we detect diabetic retinopathy using AI!

In the Province of Luxembourg, for several years, diabetic retinopathy has been detected using AI. Twice a year, patients can go to several diabetes or medical centers to have an examination. A technique which has just been awarded as one of the most innovative projects in health in Wallonia.

In the Province of Lux, diabetics are offered twice a year the ability to detect retinopathy or maculopathy via AI. This technique allows an examination to be carried out simply and efficiently.

“This exam allows you to take photos of the inside of the eye to clearly visualize the blood vessels. Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes that can occur after several years. This will damage the famous blood vessels. Like there are no very visible symptoms at the beginning, it is important to do an examination to be able to carry out treatment as quickly as possible”, explains Vinciane Collard, nurse and diabetology educator.

This preventive device linked to AI has several advantages. It essentially makes it possible to compensate for the lack of ophthalmologists in Wallonia and to relieve congestion in medical practices.

“It goes faster here. Before, I went to Liège and they put a product in my eye. So, you had to wait a certain time. Then it’s less restrictive because it’s really not easy to do. “manage to have an appointment with an ophthalmologist”, confides Alex Goeders, participant in the screening.

The technique is quick and precise but be careful, it is a question of screening, not of diagnosis. The diagnosis must always be made by a specialist doctor.

“The diagnosis will always be made by an ophthalmologist. Furthermore, as here, we do not look for other eye complications; we recommend, if the examination is normal, to see an ophthalmologist for a complete visit every other year”, continues the nurse.

To date, in the Province of Luxembourg, more than 75 cases of diabetic retinopathy or maculopathy have already been identified using AI. A significant result in the fight against diabetes-related complications, which can lead to blindness.

Last October, Chronicare et Diabetes houses received the innovation prize, which rewards the most innovative health projects in Wallonia. The non-profit organization was nominated alongside the CHN William Lennox of Louvain-la-Neuve (AI to improve the patient experience”) and the CHU UCL Namur (“Thyroid scintigraphy segmentation using deep learning”)

Nadine Urban