A new US healthcare coalition has launched, focused on using AI to analyse eye data and support early detection of ocular and systemic conditions.
The Alliance for Healthcare from the Eye (AHE) is a cross-sector initiative bringing together health systems, clinicians, non-profits and policymakers. The AI analysis of eye data such as retinal images and visual function tests is known as oculomics.
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The AHE plans to integrate ocular data collected through the approach into the coordinated care networks of eyecare, primary care, and speciality providers. A foundational manuscript published in JAMA Ophthalmology by founding AHE members outlines the coalition’s core goal: to shift healthcare from a reactive to a proactive model by sharing ocular data among AHE members.
The manuscript outlines how AI-powered ocular pre-screening may support “earlier detection, expand access, reduce healthcare costs, and help realise a more efficient, accessible care model” through cross-sector collaboration and existing clinical infrastructure.
Dr Robert N Weinreb, professor and chair of ophthalmology at the University of California, San Diego, and a founding member of the AHE, commented: “The eye offers a non-invasive, high-resolution window into the body’s vascular, neurologic, and metabolic systems.
“With advanced ophthalmic diagnostics, AI can help identify early indicators of heart disease, kidney dysfunction, neurodegeneration and other systemic diseases – before symptoms arise.”
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By GlobalDataThe AHE was first announced at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting 2025, which took place in Salt Lake City between 4 and 8 May.
During the meeting, LumiThera released topline data for its Valeda Light Delivery System treatment for slowing the progression of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The results demonstrated that earlier intervention and longer treatment enhanced the effectiveness of the company’s photobiomodulation approach, which stimulates retinal cells to improve cellular function in patients with dry AMD and helps slow progression of the condition.
Roche Diagnostics has thrown its support behind a comparable eye care and data-sharing initiative in the UK. Launched in March and spearheaded by the University of Liverpool, the Eye Cancer Artificial Intelligence Digital Bioresource (EYE-CAN-AID) is a multi-modal image database that aims to boost the early detection of rare eye cancers.
