INSIGHT Health Data Research Hub

Using retinal images to predict disease across the world Senior Research Fellow Dr Yukun Zhou (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology) – a Wellcome Early-Career Award recipient – is using AI and eye imagery to develop early screening for an array of diseases.

Senior Research Fellow Dr Yukun Zhou (@ucleye.bsky.social, @insighteyehub.bsky.social and @uclbrainscience.bsky.social) is using AI and eye imagery to develop early screening for a range of diseases – supported by a @wellcometrust.bsky.social Early-Career Award ⬇

#UCLandChina

#UCLHealth

New initiative to transform UK eye health research by linking national data resources The UK will benefit from a new initiative to scale the INSIGHT Health Data Research Hub for Eye Health and Oculomics – the world’s largest collection of curated eye imaging and linked clinical data at...

INSIGHT has been awarded £3.7 million in funding by @ukri.org MRC and @nihr.bsky.social to expand from Moorfields Eye Hospital and link national health data resources #oculomics

Led by @pearsekeane.bsky.social, the 4-year project will be delivered with @ucleye.bsky.social

bit.ly/47rM5vK

AI can identify treatment gaps for patients with macular disease, study shows Using artificial intelligence (AI) in eye clinics could reduce both undertreatment and overtreatment of neovascular or ‘wet’ age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

An AI system can identify patients who are being under-treated or over-treated for sight-threatening macular disease. Validated at two UK eye centres, the AI could help transform NHS monitoring.

Work led by Jeffry Hogg and pearsekeane at @ucleye.bsky.social @moorfieldsbrc.bsky.social
bit.ly/4nsYO5O

Study participant Sheila Irvine training with the device, wearing augmented-reality glasses while reading words on a screen

Scans of the implant in a patient's eye

People with sight loss have recovered reading vision after being treated with an electronic eye implant paired with augmented-reality glasses, reports a pioneering trial involving Mr Mahi Muqit @ucleye.bsky.social @moorfields.bsky.social www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/oc...

AI Without Borders An international coalition aims to tackle health inequities with a globally representative retinal AI model

In conversation with The Ophthalmologist, our colleague Paul Nderitu describes a world-first initiative to build the first medical AI model with globally representative data. @pearsekeane.bsky.social @moorfieldsbrc.bsky.social @ucleye.bsky.social

theophthalmologist.com/issues/2025/...

Professor Pearse Keane views retinal scans on a computer screen

For National Eye Health Week, we highlight the role of health data research in confronting the global epidemic of vision loss, affecting 2.2 billion people.

Discover how NHS patient data is driving research into vision loss at INSIGHT at Moorfields, led by @pearsekeane.bsky.social

bit.ly/48tdK01

Heatmaps show where the AI model has identified areas of disease progression

An AI tool can accurately predict when young people with sight-threatening #kerataconus need treatment to prevent vision loss.

Research led by @moorfields.bsky.social with INSIGHT, @ucleye.bsky.social supported by @nihr.bsky.social @moorfieldsbrc.bsky.social

Read more 🔗http://bit.ly/46sp5L8

Greener AI model costs less to accurately diagnose eye disease In a step forward for sustainable medical artificial intelligence (AI), researchers at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, University College London (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology, and Uni...

A 'green' medical AI model can accurately diagnose eye disease using less than 1 percent of the computing power of existing AI, says a new study in @natcomms.nature.com

The model was devised at @ucleye.bsky.social @moorfieldsbrc.bsky.social @edinburghuni.bsky.social
bit.ly/4mOHN6R #RETFoundGreen

AI predicts eye damage from hydroxychloroquine retinopathy, years before symptoms appear A novel AI tool could transform screening for patients taking hydroxychloroquine by spotting early signs of eye damage

An AI tool can spot signs of eye damage in patients taking the autoimmmune drug #Hydroxychloroquine, 2.5 years earlier than doctors.

The AI was devised by the @pearsekeane.bsky.social lab at
@ucleye.bsky.social @moorfieldsbrc.bsky.social with UK/US collaborators.

Read more: bit.ly/45KOZcE

Pearse Keane at his desk

Among @royalsociety.org awards for 2025, @pearsekeane.bsky.social receives the Gabor Medal for his work at @ucleye.bsky.social, Moorfields Eye Hospital, @moorfieldsbrc.bsky.social, developing AI-driven retinal image analysis for eye disease and #oculomics

Read more 🔗 bit.ly/4mDN2Gq

Process diagram showing 6 steps that trace the data use enquiry process at INSIGHT

We have created a step-by-step guide to applying for data through INSIGHT at Moorfields Eye Hospital - the world's largest ophthalmic bio-resource of more than 30 million eye images linked to clinical records.

Find out more:🔗http://bit.ly/45tqn9F

Our partners at @insitro.bsky.social reflect on progress to build a drug discovery platform leveraging machine learning and data at scale. The mission is to identify new treatments, faster.

As CEO Daphne Koller says, "patients are waiting".

Read more about our collaboration 🔗https://bit.ly/3Jc3QFC

Two portraits are shown on a blue background. On the left is Dr. Colin Chu with the caption: "Characterising the 3D Spatial Biology of the Human Optic Nerve Head in Glaucoma." On the right is Associate Professor Kuang Hu with the caption: "Clarifying the Prognosis: Identifying Glaucoma Progression Patterns with Artificial Intelligence." The top left corner features the logo of NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre, and the top right corner features the logo of Glaucoma UK.

Congratulations to our colleagues who have been awarded Glaucoma UK 2025 project grants. Using cutting-edge technology, their research is shedding new light on #glaucoma.

Find out more🔗 buff.ly/FKTNSya

@ucleye.bsky.social @moorfields.bsky.social #NIHRsupported

NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre logo at the top left. A image of a smiling Ariel in a red circle on the right. Below, a quote reads: 'We must hold AI tools to the same high standards of evidence as any medical test or drug. Facilitating greater transparency from manufacturers, validation across diverse populations, and high-quality interventional studies with implementation-focused outcomes are key steps towards building user confidence and supporting clinical integration.' Lead author, Dr Ariel Ong.

A review in @natureportfolio.nature.com reveals a widespread lack of transparency on performance and training data in regulator-approved #AI models used in eye care.

🔗 buff.ly/pzox5f5

#NIHRsupported @moorfields.bsky.social @ucleye.bsky.social @insighteyehub.bsky.social

As broadcast on @itvnews.bsky.social, journalist Kevin Ashford
recently visited Moorfields Eye Hospital to report on 'AI for good'. He spoke with Shafi Balal and Josef Huemer, who work with the medical AI lab of @pearsekeane.bsky.social
@ucleye.bsky.social.

Find out more: 🔗http://bit.ly/4nTRhyu

insitro collaboration | INSIGHT INSIGHT and insitro, a US biotech company, are collaborating to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model trained on INSIGHT’s vast repository of anonymised retinal imaging data at Moor...

We are working with @insitro.bsky.social to develop an AI foundation model capable of identifying novel targets in neurodegenerative and eye diseases. #oculomics

How will it work, and what is the anticipated impact on patients?

Find out here: 🔗https://www.insight.hdrhub.org/insitrocollaboration

Researcher Shubhank Verma has shown that patients in areas of greater socioeconomic deprivation have retinal features suggestive of accelerated ageing.

Shubhank is at the @pearsekeane.bsky.social AI lab
@ucleye.bsky.social & Moorfields, enabled by INSIGHT.
Read about this & more: bit.ly/4kkt01Z

Save the date: on Wed 23rd July @moorfieldsbrc.bsky.social host an informal coffee session on inherited macular degeneration. ⬇️

Group photo of five presenters at the launch of a new video series. They each wear a red sash in celebration of Red 4 Research Day

Dressed in style for #Red4Research Day, our colleague @crosbynwaobi.bsky.social, together with team members, launched a video campaign to boost research participation, funded by @nihr.bsky.social. The event was hosted by @moorfieldsbrc.bsky.social

Watch the videos: www.youtube.com/@NIHRMBRCPPI...

This #Red4research day, we launch @crosbynwaobi.bsky.social's short video series tackling health inequities in underserved communities! These videos are about making research relevant, trustworthy, & #inclusive for everyone.

🔗 buff.ly/4kV5X3W

#BePartOfResearch

Public participation in health and care research is vital to drive medical discovery, such as the clinical trial work being undertaken by Samantha Malka at @moorfieldsbrc.bsky.social
#BePartOfResearch

Clinician takes OCT image of person's eye

A new study led by Moorfields Eye Hospital and
@ucleye.bsky.social has flagged evidence gaps for AI eye imaging devices approved for patient care.

- 1 in 5 tools had no peer-reviewed data
- Very few tested in real-world settings
- Gaps in age, gender & ethnicity reporting

🔗https://bit.ly/3FDs1LS

A new frontier in #Oculomics, retinal imaging data is being used to explore detection and management of bowel diseases.

Meet Oscar Earle and Rohan Misra, who are investigating these links in Pearse Keane's medical AI lab at @ucleye.bsky.social and Moorfields Eye Hospital.

🔗 bit.ly/4kkt01Z

Alt text: "Banner for the NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre featuring the title 'Case study: Genomic Discovery and Therapeutics' and the main text 'Pioneering gene therapies to treat young people with inherited retinal diseases.' Includes a logo in the top left and a DNA strand icon with a green dot on the left side

1 in 2000 young adults in the UK are affected by inherited retinal diseases. Pioneering #GeneTherapy offers new hope.

Read more here: moorfieldsbrc.nihr.ac.uk/wp-content/u...

Prof. Alison Hardcastle & Prof. James Bainbridge

@ucleye.bsky.social

Our colleagues at @moorfieldsfriends.bsky.social have been shortlisted for this year's Charity Awards, for a hand-holding initiative that has been found to reduce patients' anxiety, and help them fare better when undergoing eye procedures.

Thanks to @moorfieldsfriends.bsky.social @ucleye.bsky.social @moorfieldsbrc.bsky.social and many others for helping to amplify the event!

Pearse Keane stands chatting with three visitors at the entrance to the exhibition space in Moorfields Eye Hospital main corridor

Three people - visitors and the INSIGHT team - smile to the camera during the pop-up event, against the white walls of the exhibition space at Moorfields Eye Hospital

Tara Lee from the Open Data Institute and INSIGHT's Data Trust Advisory Board stands beside the INSIGHT banner at the entrance to the exhibition space at Moorfields Eye Hospital

Our #DataSavesSight pop-up at Moorfields Eye Hospital
was a fantastic opportunity to meet patients, staff and members of the public.

We shared how routinely collected eye data is anonymised, curated and made accessible for world-leading research.

Find out more: 🔗 bit.ly/48IdvuH

UCL visual neuroscientist elected Fellow of the Royal Society Professor Matteo Carandini (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology) has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of his invaluable contributions to scientific research.

Congratulations to Prof Matteo Carandini @carandinilab.net @ucleye.bsky.social on his election as a Fellow of the @royalsociety.org in recognition of his invaluable contributions to scientific research in visual neuroscience #RSFellows @uclbrainscience.bsky.social www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/ma...

Meet Siegfried Wagner, who co-founded the field of #oculomics - using data & AI to unlock the eye as a window to human health.

On Thurs 22 May, Siegfried will be at our pop-up event at Moorfields City Rd from 1pm - 2pm.

🔗https://bit.ly/42R7j3V

@ucleye.bsky.social @moorfieldsbrc.bsky.social

To mark international #ClinicalTrialsDay, the teams from NIHR Moorfields Clinical Research Facility and @moorfieldsbrc.bsky.social have been sharing opportunities to get involved in research.