A prototype smartphone app developed by Texas-based researchers that can help parents detect eye diseases in their children has been verified as an effective tool, according to results of a new study published in Science Advances.
In 2014, Bryan F. Shaw, PhD, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Greg Hamerly, PhD, associate professor of computer science, both researchers at Waco, Texas-based Baylor University developed the CRADLE app, which can identify symptoms of common eye diseases.
Researchers tested the app's sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in the recently published study that involved analysis of 50,000 photographs of children taken before they were diagnosed with leukocoria or "white eye," a primary symptom of retinoblastoma and other common eye disorders. The app searches for traces of abnormal reflections from the retina to identify leukocoria.
Researchers found that the app was able to detect leukocoria for 80 percent of the children. The app was able to detect leukocoria in photographs taken on average of 1.3 years before the children were officially diagnosed.
The app, called White Eye Detector, can be downloaded for free.