What do LASIK, Cataract and AI have in common? Find out!

Hello, friends! Today we are going to talk about something as interesting as changing TV channels, but instead of changing channels, we are talking about changing lenses in the eyes, yes, LASIK eye surgery and cataracts! Since LASIK arrived on the scene in 1989, millions of people have improved their vision thanks to this marvel of technology, however, sometimes fate plays a trick on us and we develop cataracts later in life. At that time, a “lens change” is needed in the eyes. But which lens is the right one?

This is where artificial intelligence (AI) comes in – think of it as choosing which flavor of ice cream you want in an ice cream shop, but instead of just seeing the flavors on the menu, you can see exactly what each flavor looks like before you order it! This is what scientists at the University of Rochester are doing with the help of AI. They created mind-blowing computational eye models that take the corneas of people who underwent LASIK surgery and then study how different intraocular lenses work in these eyes-it’s like they’re trying out different outfits on a mannequin, but instead of outfits, they’re lenses.

Susana Marcos and her team are the masters of this technology and tell us that these 3D models provide surgeons with a perfect guide to how the eyesight will look after surgery. Before, they only looked at the shape of the cornea, but now they have the whole three-dimensional map! But that’s not all, they are going one step further and are using machine learning algorithms to predict the best results, it’s like they are playing glasses wizards, but with numbers and data! And here comes the really exciting part: they have created technology that allows patients to see for themselves what the world will look like through different lenses. You know, like when you try on a dress in a store before you buy it. They want patients to see before they believe!

To do all this, they are using technology from astronomy. Yes, like the one they use to see the stars in the sky but instead of stars, they are looking at the eyes. And not only that, they have created a device called SimVis Gekko that makes you see the world as if you’ve already had the surgery! So, not only are they improving cataract surgery, but they are also exploring other major eye conditions. So, in short, AI is here to help us see better and clearer. It’s like having a digital vision assistant!