King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital participated in the Artificial Intelligence World Summit at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, by a joint project with “SDAIA” which is represented by the National Center for Artificial Intelligence, and the Ministry of Health which is represented by the Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence, the Saudi Company for Artificial Intelligence (SCAI) and Leen company. This is the first project at the national level; the development of an imaging device for early diagnosis of diabetes complications on the retina by only using artificial intelligence algorithms without human intervention. The CEO of the hospital, Dr. Abdulaziz AlRajhi, explained that this project comes within the framework of contributing to harnessing artificial intelligence technology to provide innovative solutions to raise the efficiency of providing healthcare to patients using the highest advanced technologies in the field of ophthalmology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Dr. AlRajhi indicated that the project contains a modern, high-tech device that keeps pace with the knowledge shift in artificial intelligence technology to serve the patients and to provide early diagnosis.

The project contains a camera that takes a picture of the retina of the eye, and using artificial intelligence algorithms, it shows if the patient has complications of diabetes. In the next phase of the project, the severity and status of complications will be diagnosed and categorized, then each of case will be referred to the right specialized clinic. He pointed out that the service does not necessarily require to be available in hospitals and health centers, however, it can be provided in commercial centers by allocating a room in which the device is placed and the patient uses it without the need for an appointment. The fundus of the eye is photographed and the diagnosis is provided within minutes, this will save time for the patient, reduce the cost of diagnosis, and reduce the need for healthcare cadre who are basically limited.

The consultant ophthalmologist and medical supervisor of the project, Dr. Oday AlOwaifeer, confirmed that the innovative tool for detecting diabetic retinopathy has been fully developed locally by national competencies.