Professor Baljean Dhillon, a co-lead of NeurEYE, emphasizes that the retina serves as a critical indicator of brain health, allowing optometrists to detect potential dementia using standard equipment.

Identifying individuals at risk for dementia is crucial, as it may enhance the development of new treatments by allowing for better targeting of clinical trials and monitoring treatment efficacy.

The project has received ethical approval from the Public Benefit and Privacy Panel for Health and Social Care, part of NHS Scotland, ensuring that consent for data usage has been properly granted.

Retired engineer David Steele shared his family's experience with late diagnosis of dementia, underscoring the importance of early detection for better management of the disease.

Raising awareness of dementia risk may motivate individuals to adopt lifestyle changes that could potentially reduce their chances of developing the disease.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are developing an innovative AI-based tool designed to detect dementia risk through routine eye tests.

The NeurEYE team aims to have a prototype of the AI tool ready by the end of 2025, with plans for broader implementation in opticians by 2026.

With approximately 6.9 million Americans aged 65 and older living with Alzheimer's disease in 2024, the need for early detection tools is increasingly urgent as these numbers are expected to rise.

This project, known as NeurEYE, is a collaboration between the University of Edinburgh and Glasgow Caledonian University, and has successfully collected nearly one million eye scans from opticians across Scotland, creating the largest dataset of its kind worldwide.

The AI software analyzes the blood vessels in the retina, which may reveal signs of neurodegenerative diseases before symptoms manifest.

Opticians will receive training to utilize this new software as a predictive tool for conditions like Alzheimer's, enabling them to refer patients to secondary services if signs of brain disease are identified.

The retina's small blood vessels can reveal health conditions sooner than other body parts, enhancing early detection capabilities for various diseases.