Data scientists and clinical researchers are working with high street opticians for the first time to develop a digital tool that can predict a person’s risk of dementia from a routine eye test. The NeurEYE research team, co-led by Professor Miguel Bernabeu of the Usher Institute and Professor Baljean Dhillon of the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, in collaboration with Glasgow Caledonian University, has gathered nearly a million eye scans from opticians across Scotland — forming the world’s largest dataset of its kind.Scientists will use artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyse the image data, linked to relevant patient data on demographics, treatment history and pre-existing conditions. This data is anonymised and patients can’t be identified, but it allows researchers to find patterns that could indicate a person’s risk of developing dementia, as well as giving a broad picture of brain health. Professor Miguel Bernabeu, NeurEYE Co-lead Advances in AI are revolutionising disease prediction. By training algorithms on representative data, we can make early detection of dementia equitable and effective for all. Professor Miguel Bernabeu Co-lead for NeurEYE, Usher Institute The project is part of NEURii, an international collaboration supported by Eisai, Gates Ventures, LifeArc, and Health Data Research UK. This initiative is advancing innovative solutions for neurodegenerative conditions, with NeurEYE building on the success of SCAN-DAN, which uses AI to analyse brain scans for dementia risk. The retina’s neural pathways are closely linked to the brain, but unlike the brain, the retina is easily accessible using equipment available at any optician. Professor Baljean Dhillon Co-lead for NeurEYE, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences David Steele, 65, shared how earlier diagnosis could have helped his family. My mum’s Alzheimer’s was masked by another diagnosis for ten years. If predictive tools like this had existed, we could have had the right help much earlier. NeurEYE could also accelerate dementia research, improving clinical trials by identifying participants likely to benefit from new treatments and allowing better monitoring of interventions.The data is securely managed in Scotland’s National Safe Haven, ensuring privacy while enabling cutting-edge research.Further informationAI software tool aims to use high street eye tests to spot dementia risk | Edinburgh InnovationsAI could help diagnose dementia through eye tests | BBC NewsMiguel O. Bernabeu | The University of Edinburgh Publication date 21 Jan, 2025