Inside STAT: 5 burning questions about using artificial intelligence to prevent blindness

Blindness is a preventable condition, and that fact frustrates a lot of eye specialists. But using artificial intelligence may offer ways to catch — and subsequently treat — eye disease sooner. And with the AI boom in medicine, companies are lining up to take a shot at early screening for eye impairments. Giant companies like Google and smaller ventures like the Iowa-based IDx-DR are implementing AI to scan images of the eye to then quickly detect abnormalities including diabetic neuropathy. But before this technology can become a clinical reality, there are still lingering questions about what it all means. Which diseases should these programs target, and how will these AI programs be validated? STAT's Lauren Joseph explores these and other questions for STAT Plus subscribers here.