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OCT is an imaging technique which, similar to ultrasound but on a contact-free basis, displays accurate stratified images of the retina. With the aid of algorithms recently developed at the Medical University of Vienna, it can be used to diagnose retinal diseases at an early stage within only a few seconds, so that the appropriate treatment can be given. For this reason, Vienna is regarded as a pioneer and also a driver of the digital revolution in ophthalmology, which now stands on the brink of a global breakthrough.
In a recent paper, Google has now also taken up the theme that digital algorithms can provide accurate ophthalmic diagnoses fully automatically. Studies of the Medical University of Vienna in this field were cited several times in the Nature Medicine work of Google. The fact that Google along with other technology companies such as IBM are now also jumping onto the digital bandwagon in ophthalmology is considered to be a positive step. “This helps to move on our concept of artificial intelligence in ophthalmology and to establish it as a business model throughout the world. It will very soon be possible for every ophthalmologist anywhere in the world to access our technology which will benefit patients and help doctors," says Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth, Head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Optometrics at the Medical University of Vienna, Vienna General Hospital.
