原创译文 | AI检测眼部疾病有了重大突破，人工智能医疗不再是噱头

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导读：最近人工智能AI技术在各个领域应用火热，Alphabet旗下子公司，DeepMind关注于人类眼部疾病，使用人工智能在眼疾诊断方面取得了重大进展。本文将进行详细介绍。（文末更多往期译文推荐）

科技行业内部人士经常宣称人工智能是我们所有问题的解决方案，包括医疗保健所带来的问题。

总部位于伦敦的DeepMind是谷歌的母公司Alphabet旗下的一家子公司，该公司主要关注人工智能在医疗保健中的应用，并于本周一发布了一项研究报告显示，DeepMind在使用人工智能诊断眼部疾病方面取得了重大进展。

该研究报告发表在自然科学杂志上，研究报告称，DeepMind与伦敦Moorfields眼科医院合作，已经训练其算法能够检测出超过50种威胁视力的病症，其准确度与专家临床医生相同。该算法还能够为患者正确推荐最合适的治疗方案，同时算法优先考虑了那些最迫切需要护理的人。

在两年前开始的一个项目中，DeepMind使用了数以千计的病例和匿名患者的眼睛来训练其机器学习算法，使其算法能够识别可能导致视力丧失的疾病。根据研究报告表示，该系统现在准确率可以达到94％，人们希望此系统最终可以在世界范围内被应用，改变眼科检查技术。

人工智能在医疗保健领域扮演了许多角色。今年6月，Babylon Health表示，他给人工智能技术和英国全科医生做了相同的测试，结果AI的表现优于人类。 3月份，研究人员发现机器学习对超声波扫描的心脏解剖进行分类可以比人工分类效果更好。欧洲的紧急呼叫调度员也开始利用AI协助检测心脏病发作情况。

一方面，医生通过眼部扫描诊断眼部疾病是复杂且耗时的。此外，全球人口老龄化表明眼病正变得越来越普遍，这更增加了医疗系统的负担。于是AI的投入就有了机会。

Moorfields顾问眼科专家Pearse Keane在一份声明中说：“我们能够进行的眼部扫描的数量正在飞速增长，且速度比人类专家更快。而视力诊断治疗延误的风险对患者来说可能是毁灭性的。”

使用人工智能可能使患者得到早期诊断并因此更早进行治疗，从而减少视力下降。“我们有了最好的机会来拯救人们的视力，”Keane说。

DeepMind的AI使用一种特殊的眼睛扫描类型进行算法训练，但研究人员称它与任何模型都兼容。 所以它的广泛使用没有硬件限制，同时即使设备更新换代，它仍将在未来保持可用。

人工智能还可以向医生解释它是如何得出一个特定的决定的，这会使医生在进行治疗之前仔细检查自己是否做出了正确的操作。

在AI用于医院诊断真实患者之前，它现在必须通过临床试验并获得监管部门的批准。

英国验光师学院研究主管Martin Cordiner在一份声明中说：“由于验光师通常是患有眼疾症状的人的第一站，所以得知人工智能具有协助验光师帮助患者的潜力，我们感到很兴奋。我们期待这项技术的临床试验结果。”

原文

Google DeepMind's AI can

detect over 50 sight-threatening eye conditions

Tech industry insiders regularly herald AI as the solution to all of our problems, included those posed by health care.

London-based DeepMind, owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet, focuses heavily on the specifics of using artificial intelligence in health care, and on Monday it released a study showing the progress it's made in using AI to diagnose eye conditions.

Published in the science journal Nature, the study reports that DeepMind, in partnership with Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, has trained its algorithms to detect over 50 sight-threatening conditions to the same accuracy as expert clinicians. It's also capable of correctly recommending the most appropriate course of action for patients and prioritize those in most urgent need of care.

In a project that began two years ago, DeepMind trained its machine learning algorithms using thousands of historic and fully anonymized eye scans to identify diseases that could lead to sight loss. According to the study, the system can now do so with 94 percent accuracy, and the hope is that it could eventually be used to transform how eye exams are conducted around the world.

AI is taking on a number of roles within health care more widely. In June, Babylon Health said that it gave its artificial intelligence technology the same test required of would-be general practitioners in Britain and that the AI performed better than humans. In March, researchers found that machine learning can classify heart anatomy on an ultrasound scan better than a human. AI is also being used to help emergency call dispatchers in Europe detect heart attack situations.

Diagnosing eye diseases from ocular scans is a complex and time-consuming for doctors. Also, an aging global population means eye disease is becoming more prevalent, increasing the burden on healthcare systems. That's providing the opportunity for AI to pitch in.

"The number of eye scans we're performing is growing at a pace much faster than human experts are able to interpret them," said Pearse Keane, consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields, in a statement. "There is a risk that this may cause delays in the diagnosis and treatment of sight-threatening diseases, which can be devastating for patients."

Using AI instead could mean earlier diagnoses for patients and therefore earlier treatment, leading to less deterioration in eyesight down the line. "It gives us the best chance of saving people's sight," said Keane.

DeepMind's AI has been trained using one particular type of eye scanner, but researchers say it's compatible with any model. Not only does this mean it can be used widely and without hardware restrictions, but that it will remain useful in the future even when equipment is replaced and updated.

The AI can also explain to doctors how it arrived at a particular decision, which will allow the doctors to scrutinize whether it's made the right call before going ahead with treatment.

Before the AI can be used in hospitals to diagnose real patients it must now go through clinical trials and gain regulatory approval.

"As optometrists are often the first port of call for people with the symptoms of eye disease, we are very excited about the potential that AI has to assist them in helping patients," said Martin Cordiner, head of research at the UK's College of Optometrists, in a statement. "We look forward to the results of clinical trials of this technology."

文章编辑：小雨