Google’s Winsome Revolution in Healthcare Through Eyes

Aakanksha Pathania, B. Optom

Optometrist

In the 16th century, the adage “eyes are the window to the soul” gained enormous popularity, ⁽¹⁾ but nobody had thought that by the 21st century, it will not be just an adage but reality, all credit goes to the limitless Artificial Intelligence (AI).

In 2018, google published research ‘AI at Google: our principles’ talking about benefits of AI in daily life and briefly mentioning the uphold high standards of scientific excellence. ⁽²⁾  Google hinted that AI could predict the cardiovascular disease from retinal images, however, this concept was limited to research paper, with now plan of execution. In the realm of healthcare Google did not stop at AI, they also launched google contact lenses which can monitor diabetes level by monitoring glucose level in an individual’s tears.

Retina is the innermost, light sensitive layer of tissue, the interior wall is filled with blood vessels. ⁽³⁾ These blood vessels are affected by cardiovascular diseases. By examining their appearance, doctors can gather critical information about the predictors of CVD. AI algorithms can anticipate one’s plausibility of developing cardiovascular disease, by examining these vessels such as how they branch and width. ⁽⁴⁾ Development of such AI algorithms has the potential to reform the way CVD is diagnosed, enabling interventions and personalised treatment plans. However, this prediction method is still under research. The key objective of this research was to serve a simple and non-invasive, inexpensive way to obtain a person’s risk of heart disease by examining eye scans. ⁽⁴⁾ This approach reduces the burden on healthcare systems and provides better diagnosis and boost patient outcomes.

Google’s research reveals that a quick eye scan can predict your risk of heart disease, offering alternatives to CT scans, MRIs, X-rays. Stating that ahead is a world where quick scans can unwrap unseen health issues and predict potential cardiovascular events. ⁽⁵⁾

Wearable Soft contact lenses to monitor blood sugar 

Diabetes has always been a prime concern in the realm of healthcare management, one out of 19 people are affected by diabetes, managing diabetes feels like moonlighting. Monitoring glucose level daily is a part of routine for diabetic patients but the pain and uneasiness of pricking needles daily and collecting blood samples everyday does not go with time. To relieve diabetic patients from this misery, google is testing smart contact lenses to measure glucose level in tears. ⁽⁶⁾

Figure 1: soft contact lenses for monitoring glucose level.
https://www.techexplorist.com/googles-new-smart-contact-lens/4189/#google_vignette

These lenses are made up of hydrogel material with a tiny wireless chip, miniaturised glucose sensor and a tiny batter embedded between 2 layers in the periphery, a pinhole in the lens allows tear to flower into the sensor, generating blood glucose level transmitted directly into smartphones. ⁽⁷⁾ Exploration on installing tiny LED lights that can light up indicating high or low blood sugar beyond a particular threshold is still running. However, google smart lenses being at an early development stage lacks accuracy and refinement of prototype. ⁽⁷⁾

Both Google’s innovative research lack accuracy and needs refinement. With hope and research, Google is determined to work on a new way to manage these diseases, so in a world where people are losing their battle against it, they have something to look upon.

References:

1. Duffy, J., & Dorner, R. (2011). The pathos of” mindblindness”: autism, science, and sadness in” Theory of Mind” narratives. Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies, 5(2), 201-215.
2. Pichai, S. (2018). AI at Google: our principles. The Keyword, 7, 1-3.
3. la Cour, M., & Ehinger, B. (2005). The retina. Advances in Organ Biology, 10, 195-252.
4. Khan, R., Surya, J., Roy, M., Swathi Priya, M. N., Mohan, S., Raman, S., … & Raman, R. (2023). Use of artificial intelligence algorithms to predict systemic diseases from retinal images. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery, 13(5), e1506.
5. Mahgoub, F. The AI Race in Eyecare: A Perspective from 2018.
6. Park, J., Kim, J., Kim, S. Y., Cheong, W. H., Jang, J., Park, Y. G., … & Park, J. U. (2018). Soft, smart contact lenses with integrations of wireless circuits, glucose sensors, and displays. Science advances, 4(1), eaap9841.
7. Keum, D. H., Kim, S. K., Koo, J., Lee, G. H., Jeon, C., Mok, J. W., … & Hahn, S. K. (2020). Wireless smart contact lens for diabetic diagnosis and therapy. Science advances, 6(17), eaba3252.