Cross-Sectional Study: AI Model Accurately Detects Myopia, Strabismus, and Ptosis in Children Using Smartphone Photos – JAMA Netw Open

Study Design and Population: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital from October 2022 to September 2023, including 476 children diagnosed with myopia, strabismus, or ptosis. A total of 1,419 images were used to develop an AI model to detect these conditions based on mobile phone photographs.

Main Findings: The AI model demonstrated strong performance with a sensitivity of 0.84 for myopia, 0.73 for strabismus, and 0.85 for ptosis. The model achieved overall accuracies exceeding 0.80 for myopia and strabismus and 0.92 for ptosis, indicating its effectiveness in early detection of these pediatric eye conditions using only smartphone images.

Implications for Practice: The findings suggest that AI-based screening tools could enable early detection of common pediatric eye diseases at home, reducing the reliance on hospital-based screenings. This approach could facilitate timely intervention, improving visual outcomes and reducing the burden on healthcare systems.

Reference: Shu, Q. et al. (2024). Artificial Intelligence for Early Detection of Pediatric Eye Diseases Using Mobile Photos. JAMA Network Open, 7(8), e2425124. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.25124.