Google AI May Reveal Health Risks Through Your Eyes

You visit the ophthalmologist to get your vision checked, but sometimes an eye exam reveals much more. Researchers at Google say a new application of artificial intelligence shows whether a patient's eyes point to high blood pressure or risk of a heart attack or stroke.

That the eyes can detect disease in other parts of the body is not new. Through a routine eye exam, doctors can detect diabetes, cancers and other illnesses.

Google's AI technology has the potential to make detection of diseases faster and cheaper, possibly even providing tools that allow the public to screen themselves, according to a report in The Verge. Additional information on "Assessing Cardiovascular Risk Factors with Computer Vision" is available at the Google Research Blog.