Advancing Eye Disease Care with AI: A Tool to Detect Glaucoma Earlier
Official title: SCH: Advancing Clinical Decision Support for Glaucoma Detection and Progression Using Multi-Modal AI
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11419179 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A university research team is building an AI-powered tool to help doctors detect glaucoma earlier and predict vision loss using multiple kinds of eye data.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $297,298 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY037101-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11419179 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with glaucoma risk or early signs of glaucoma who regularly undergo eye imaging and visual field testing.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without glaucoma or without access to the required imaging data may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project aims to create a clinical decision support system that blends different patient data—like eye scans and visual field tests—over time to improve glaucoma diagnosis and forecast functional decline. The team will make the AI easy for clinicians to use, with clear explanations of its recommendations and insights into how confident the predictions are. They will test the tool across varied patient groups to ensure it works reliably in real-world settings. If successful, this could help doctors intervene sooner and tailor care to individual patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from earlier, more accurate glaucoma detection and better-informed treatment decisions.
How similar studies have gone: Previous AI-based glaucoma tools show promise, but this project emphasizes multi-modal data and clinician-facing interpretability for real-world use.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lee, Insup — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Lee, Insup
Related research
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Using AI on eye scans and genes to predict glaucoma risk
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A new, easy-to-use AI screening approach will be tested in federally funded health centers to help identify people at risk for glaucoma, especially in communities with higher risk.
-
Understanding how glaucoma genes control eye cell function
A long-term research project will study how genetic factors affect eye cells in adults with glaucoma to uncover new ideas for protecting vision.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.