Grant: Project Grant

The Canadian National Institute for the Blind estimated that over 1.5 million Canadians have significant irreversible vision loss or blindness, corresponding to a total health care cost of 15.8 billion CAD. Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of central vision loss in developed countries affecting 10% of people 65 years and nearly 30% of people 75 years or older. Although vision loss from AMD is ultimately due to the loss of light-sensitive photoreceptor cells, the exact pathophysiology of AMD is not fully discovered yet. However, early intervention can reduce the risk of developing AMD and retard its progression even though curative treatment is not currently available. The ultimate goal of this research is to develop a novel clinical ophthalmic imaging system and a machine-learning-based classification model to visualize and quantify the changes in the structure and functions of the retina. This research outcome will not only elucidate the pathological process of AMD, but also lay a basis for the image-based prediction of AMD progression, which will help clinicians diagnose AMD at an early stage, establish more reliable clinical treatment options, and also measure the efficacy of those treatments.