Q&A: Altris AI launches AI-powered optic disc analysis
Key takeaways:
- Altris AI analyzes OCT images to aid in the early diagnosis of glaucoma.
- The cloud-based platform can help reduce over-referrals.
Altris AI, which offers OCT analysis for retinal diseases, is now expanding to glaucoma detection.
With its optic disc analysis module, Altris AI hopes to help improve early detection of glaucoma, thereby preventing irreversible vision loss.
Healio spoke with Maria Znamenska, MD, PhD, chief medical officer of Altris AI, about the company’s venture into glaucoma and how it can help enhance eye care practices.
Healio: What is Altris AI, and what diseases can it detect?
Znamenska: Altris AI is a platform for eye care specialists — optometrists and ophthalmologists — that has been around since 2017. When we started, there was not that much information about AI, and it was mostly based on solutions for fundus photos.
Altris AI is a cloud-based platform that helps in the analysis of OCT scans and can provide more information to eye care specialists on the different pathologies on those scans.
The main advantage of OCT is that we can define different pathologies in their earliest stages. We have more than 70 different pathologies and biomarkers that can be detected with Altris AI. Among those pathologies are the ones that are widespread, like age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and geographic atrophy, as well as diseases and biomarkers that cannot be seen every day in clinical practice, such as central retinal vein and artery occlusions, vitelliform dystrophy and macular telangiectasia.
This is the main advantage of Altris AI. Most AI solutions that are currently available focus on only a couple of diseases. Alris AI can provide analysis on common and uncommon pathologies. The macular area is scanned as part of OCT examinations, and Altris AI makes it possible to also analyze the optic nerve.
This is a solution that might be good for both optometrists and ophthalmology clinics because you can use it in different ways. In addition to defining pathologies, we can also track them. We can measure biomarkers and follow up with patients using AI. The AI helps us understand, for example, the influence of different treatment strategies on patients. By seeing how AI calculates areas and volumes of different pathologies, we can understand the progression and pathogenesis of different diseases and their treatment.
Healio: How is the program integrated into eye exams?
Znamenska: When the patient comes into the practice, they undergo screening with OCT. The eye care specialist then uploads these scans to the cloud. In the cloud, those scans are analyzed, and the system provides the eye care specialist with a report where they can find all the information on everything from recommendations on the diagnosis to identifying different biomarkers about the measurements and so on.
Healio: Why is the early detection of glaucoma important, and how can Altris AI play a part in this?
Znamenska: Glaucoma is a vision-threatening disease, and it has no symptoms in the early stages. When patients with glaucoma come to see us, we do not usually see them at the early stages. We usually see them in the second or third stages. According to WHO statistics, most glaucoma cases are not diagnosed in a timely manner. This is why screening for glaucoma is important.
When a patient comes to the office of an eye care specialist, their retina is examined, but their optic nerve is not scanned. By using Altris AI, we can help to define early symptoms of glaucoma even on a retina scan where the nerve was not examined. It gives an understanding that there is a risk and can inform the specialist to move forward in examining the patient.
Of course, OCT is only one diagnostic method for glaucoma, and other diagnostic methods, such as IOP measurements and perimetry, should be provided. However, OCT gives a huge amount of information, and AI helps us make sure we do not miss glaucoma, even in the early stages.
As we know, if glaucoma is missed in the early stages, it leads to visual impairment. We still do not have a treatment for visual loss caused by glaucoma. This is why it is important to have early detection.
Healio: What are the parameters for the optic disc analysis module?
Znamenska: For the optic disc analysis, AI can calculate about 15 parameters, including size of the optic nerve, size of the cup and evaluation of the rim area. OCT devices can make these calculations on their own, but not every device has these normative databases, so analyzing them can be tricky. Altris AI can identify glaucoma risk by analyzing all these parameters without using the normative databases. We use these parameters, as well as others like the Disc Damage Likelihood Scale, to understand if the optic nerve is damaged by glaucoma.
Healio: How can Altris AI enhance an eye care provider’s practice?
Znamenska: OCT is much more available than it was 10 years ago. These devices are now in eye care practices around the world. We can screen a patient, define their risk groups with AI and provide recommendations, including if a referral to a specialist is needed and how urgent it is. We can also avoid over-referrals, which is good for any health care system.
For optometrists, it can enhance their diagnostic tools and improve their ability to define and track pathologies as well as understand their treatment.
For ophthalmologists, it gives instruments to calculate areas and volumes of biomarkers that can be used in research work as well as their clinical work.
It also brings an element of automatization that can speed up the workflow of big clinics or optical chains.
AI can analyze data from one patient who underwent OCT examinations on different OCT devices. AI can do this job by itself, and we are able to easily compare changes in the patient.
Reference:
- Altris AI launches advanced optic disc analysis for glaucoma. https://www.altris.ai/article/altris-ai-launches-advanced-optic-disc-analysis-for-glaucoma-complementing-gcc-asymmetry-analysis/. Accessed March 10, 2025.
For more information:
Maria Znamenska, MD, PhD, chief medical officer of Altris AI, can be reached at mznamenska@altris.ai.
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