Medcare Hospitals and Medical Centers, the UAE’s premium healthcare provider, has implemented Airdoc, a multi-faceted Airtificial Intelligence (AI) retinal image interpretation system, at its Medcare Hospital Al Safa. The region’s first-of-its-kind system diagnoses 35 eye diseases and 9 chronic conditions including hypertension, anaemia, and diabetes in just three minutes, making it the most efficient system for early finding, auxiliary diagnosis, and health risk assessment of the largest number of diseases in the human body.
The Airdoc retina scanning goes beyond traditional methods, utilising advanced technology to generate substantial data and insights. This innovation assists doctors in swiftly and accurately detecting health risks like diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration in their early stages through non-invasive and highly accurate retina imaging. The Airdoc machine aims to provide a proactive approach to preventive health management and promote potential risk detection of chronic diseases. Since its debut in May 2024 at Medcare Hospital Al Safa, the device has enabled more than a dozen patients to receive early and timely detection of cardiovascular and diabetic diseases that would not have been possible with traditional methods. Nearly 7% of the 211 patients who had their retinas examined were found to be asymptomatic.
Commenting on the usage of Airdoc at Medcare Hospital Al Safa, Dr. Shanila Laiju, Group CEO, Medcare said, “We are pleased to announce the launch of the AI-powered Airdoc imaging system at Medcare. Our objective is to be pioneers, always advancing and enhancing our medical procedures and technologies to deliver the highest level of treatment modalities and care for our patients.”
Installing a diagnostic device like the Airdoc is essential for preventing chronic and cardiovascular diseases like hypertension from intensifying and affecting one’s lifestyle and potentially manifesting in future illness. This technology allows clinicians to spot irregularities early on, resulting in prompt further medical investigations to confirm an accurate diagnosis. This allows us to identify potential disease risk in patients that are completely asymptomatic and might not have a full on illness manifestation.
According to Dr. Brajesh Mittal, Consultant Interventional Cardiology and Head of the Cardiology department, Medcare Hospital Al Safa, “In the case of positive identification of risk, it is said that our eyes are the windows to the heart (and to the body!!). Airdoc utilizes this window to assess the cardiovascular and other risks. This is a simple AI based tool – a sophisticated fundus camera that captures the retinal images within minutes. Then, the AI based algorithm provides a report highlighting the risks of various conditions like diabetic retinopathy, risk of arteriosclerosis, cardiovascular risk, sudden cardiac death risk etc. The beauty lies in the simplicity of conducting the test, noninvasive and quick”.
The Airdoc retinal diagnostic technology uses a high-resolution fundus camera to capture retinal images, which are analyzed by the AI module to generate a comprehensive health report within just three minutes. The cost of the procedure is covered by insurance, making it accessible to a wide spectrum of individuals.
The machine captures retinal images in one minute and generates comprehensive health assessment reports in three minutes for the nine most common chronic disease risks and detection of 35+ common retina-related diseases with over 95% accuracy in identifying retinal abnormalities. The machine identifies up to thirty-five diseases in nine categories — including vascular, tumor-related, digital radiography (DR), macular, myopia, suspected glaucoma, optic nerves, vitreous, and other choroidal and retinal diseases or lesions.
Medcare continues to be the front-runner in implementing groundbreaking healthcare technologies, with its commitment to healthcare innovation and focus on enhancing patient care by providing diagnostic solutions that prioritize patients’ well-being.
