Oculomics
Through INSIGHT's large-scale data sets of retinal images linked to clinical records, researchers are advancing the
field of Oculomics - the science of using the eye as a
window to the rest of the body.
Origin of Oculomics
The increasing use of high-resolution eye imaging, combined with the power of data science, has led to the development of Oculomics — using ocular biomarkers to detect systemic disease.
Oculomics combines the words ‘ocular’ — meaning the eye — and ‘omics’, the study of biological systems, typically using large-scale data sets. Other 'omics' include genomics (the study of DNA), and proteomics (the study of proteins).
The term "Oculomics” was coined in a paper entitled Insights into Systemic Disease through Retinal Imaging-Based Oculomics, published in February 2020.
​​
The lead senior authors are clinicians and researchers at INSIGHT's two partner NHS Foundation Trusts: Moorfields and University Hospitals Birmingham, which has trademarked "Oculmics". Since that seminal paper, Oculomics has become an important programme of research enabled by INSIGHT's data curation expertise.
Oculomics research
INSIGHT has a dedicated programme for Oculomics, developing and curating datasets that can be used for research into systemic disease.
Our Oculomics programme builds on existing work undertaken by Moorfields, UCL's Institute of Ophthalmology and collaborating institutions - for example, the AlzEye dataset, which has provided the foundation for research exploring the links between retinal biomarkers and conditions such as dementia.
Recent examples of Oculomics research include:
Detecting Parkinson's Disease up to seven years before symptoms emerge.
World-first AI foundation model identifies sight-threatening eye diseases but also predicts risk of systemic disease including heart attacks and stroke.​​​
