Ophthalmology is among the most technology-driven of the all the medical specialties, with treatments utilizing high-spec medical lasers and advanced microsurgical techniques, and diagnostics involving ultra-high resolution imaging. Ophthalmology is also at the forefront of many trailblazing research areas in healthcare, such as stem cell and gene therapies.

Moorfields Eye Hospital in London is the oldest eye hospital in the world. Together with the adjacent UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Moorfields is among the largest centres for vision science research in the world. In July 2016, Moorfields announced a formal collaboration with DeepMind, with the aim of applying deep learning to optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans in retinal disease.

In my presentation, I will describe the motivation – and urgent need – to apply deep learning to ophthalmology, the processes required to establish a research collaboration between the NHS and a company like DeepMind, and the first results of this collaboration.

Bio:

Pearse A. Keane, MD, FRCOphth, is a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London and an NIHR Clinician Scientist, based at the Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London (UCL).

Dr Keane specialises in applied ophthalmic research, with a particular interest in retinal imaging. He joined Moorfields in 2010; prior to this, he carried out optical coherence tomography (OCT) research with Srinivas Sadda and Alex Walsh at the Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles. He is originally from Ireland and received his medical degree from University College Dublin (UCD).

In January 2015, he was awarded a prestigious “Clinician Scientist” award from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) in the United Kingdom (UK) – the first ophthalmologist in the UK to receive such an award. His remit from this award is to explore the potential of new medical technologies and innovation in ophthalmology, ranging from advanced imaging to artificial intelligence to virtual and augmented realities.