Cancer of the eye: Age-related Maculopathy
Age-related maculopathy is the degeneration of the central part of the retina that develops with age. The macula is a small area at the center of the retina that is responsible for central vision. Once the macula degenerates, central vision will become blurred, while peripheral vision remains unaffected. This condition mainly affects reading and tasks performed close to the eye. Macular lesions generally occur in people over 55. An average of 15% of the elderly population is affected by age-related maculopathy. The lesions are usually bilateral, and cause irreversible damage to vision. Age-related maculopathy patients may lose their sight in one eye by the age of 65, and some patients will lose their sight in both eyes by 70.
In recent years, the average age of age-related maculopathy patients appears to be lowering, with people who use mobile phones intensively being at higher risk. The problem with this disease is that it does not have obvious symptoms during its early stages. Most patients realize that they are in need of medical attention only at the mid and late stages of the disease. If discovered early, treatments can significantly halt the progression of the disease. Age-related maculopathy can be effectively detected through Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). Firstly, the patient’s retinal image is obtained through Retinal Optical Coherence Tomography; the image is then interpreted to determine if the lesion is due to diabetic macular edema, primary macular hole or age-related maculopathy. Appropriate treatment will then be administered based on the diagnosis. In general, there are two types of maculopathy, namely wet maculopathy and dry maculopathy. There is currently no cure for dry maculopathy, and the patient will be asked to go for regular follow-ups, wear sunglasses and take lutein. Wet maculopathy, on the other hand, is the deterioration of vision due to hyperplasia of blood vessels, which results in hemorrhage, exudates, and fluid buildup. Unlike dry maculopathy, wet maculopathy can be improved through treatment.
The resolution of OCT images can be as high as 2 to 5 microns, and OCT can provide high-resolution transverse and cross-sectional 3D images When examining the macular area with OCT, a highly-accurate image of the macula can be obtained within 3 seconds after the scan. The structures of the lesions can be clearly seen without the need for pupil dilation, or the use of a fluorescent dye for fluorescein angiography. However, the interpretation of the images obtained poses another challenge. The medical team pointed out that “Diagnosing macular lesions through medical imaging is a time-consuming and labor-intensive task. Not only do the ophthalmologists need to undergo professional training, the interpretation of the images requires repeated review and discussion. In rural areas or regions with limited medical resources, local examiners will serve as the front-line diagnostic personnel. But they may not have the adequate diagnostic ability or confidence to make the right diagnosis. Furthermore, patients often have to wait a few weeks for the results of the interpretation, and lose valuable treatment time.” Dennis believes that it may be possible to significantly shorten the OCT image interpretation time with the help of AI technology. AI can help doctors make accurate diagnosis, and thereby allow patients to receive treatment earlier and reduce the risk of losing their sight.
