App detects eye disease from photos

November 5, 2019 Staff reporters

Researchers at Baylor University in Texas have developed a free app that can scan through smartphone photos to automatically detect signs of leukocoria in children.

Named CRADLE (ComputeR Assisted Detector LEukocoria) the app has been created to identify white spots on everyday photographs and alert parents to leukocoria, also known as white puppilary reflex, which can be a symptom of retinoblastoma, Coats’ disease, and congenital cataracts.

Over 50,000 photos of children were scanned in the making of the app, which detected leukocoria in 80% of children who were found to have related eye diseases, pre- and post-diagnosis, according the findings published in Science Advances. The app can be download for free for Android and iOS.