Seeing more clearly: Tackling age related vision issues

Close up of a human eye. Image by ROTFLOLEB – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0.

November 2023 sees Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month marked Among various ill-health consequences from diabetes is the association with genetic based eye diseases. These include:

• Age related macular degeneration.
• Glaucoma, diabetic.
• Retinopathy.
• Myopia.
• Certain types of cataracts.

Dr. James Kelly of the Kelly Vision Centre has expressed the desire to share important education as well as an anecdote around genetic vision loss from Renowned Ophthalmologist and Refractive Surgeon.

By genetics, there are other types of diseases well known to be genetic in nature include albinism, retinitis pigmentosa many retinal dystrophies and various optic neuropathies. Many millions of people are affected by one or more of these conditions in addition to millions more around the world.

Research is ongoing in mapping the genes responsible for these diseases. As with many human ailments, early diagnosis is important, so that early treatment can be instituted resulting in less suffering and better outcomes. In the case of hereditary diseases, genetic testing and genetic counselling are critical as well as screening higher risk populations.

Dr Kelly says: “I hope that genetic testing can improve the accuracy of diagnosis as well as provide more precise prognosis. In addition to current treatments that include medication, surgery drops and injections future treatments may include more gene therapy as well as stem cell therapy. The further development of molecular genetics will radically alter the future of all heritable conditions.”

Most people are not aware that vision loss can be inherited, Kelly tells Digital Journal. Despite this, Kelly often treats entire families for vision loss related issues.

“There are many hundreds of eye diseases that are partially or fully hereditary in nature” says Dr. Kelly.

An example of this is how Dr. Kelly has been generationally supporting families is with the McFaddens. Kelly has been treating the same family for over two decades. For example, Dr. Kelly helped mother Patricia McFadden (aged 72) with LASIK related to genetic vision loss 25 years ago. Kelly explains that he also aided Susan McFadden (50 years) and Patricia’s daughter Rebecca (25) and son John (27) both with LASIK surgeries in the past year (laser eye surgery or laser vision correction).

Such inquiries do not  always mean if the parent needs LASIK or glasses that the child will. Nonetheless, it is important to be prepared and Dr. Kelly is passionate about the necessity of regular vision checks.

Will GenAI become the most important business technology in 2024?

How will technology proceed to disrupt business during 2024? Looking into the way things may develop for Digital Journal is Alon Goren, CEO of AnswerRocket. Goren focuses on

Generative AI at the upper levels of the organisation and the way this technology can overturn dashboards in order to identify insightful analytics.

Generative AI will cause a clash between executives

The use of generative AI may upset things at boardroom level as top management vies for control over its agenda within the enterprise.

Goren addresses the boardroom antics by noting: “Nearly half of executives report that that their AI investments will increase next year to jump on the generative AI bandwagon, while 70 percent are already in generative AI exploration mode.”

This is likely to have a cultural impact, as Goren points out: “Now that organizations are ramping up AI adoption in the enterprise, every executive wants to be the one to take their company on its AI journey.”

This means that in 2024 “the AI agenda will become more complex as more players enter the chat to gain control, from the CTO to the CIO to data analytics executives.”

Consequently, observes Goren: “The C-Suite will need to identify where their opportunities for AI lie and what conversation they must have with different departments to decide who should be the one to take the lead. In the meantime, CIOs are facing pressure from CEOs to expand their use of generative AI. In 2024, we will see CIOs continuing to push forward their exploratory AI experiments and projects as the battle continues.”

Dashboards finally deliver on their hype – with GenAI

Will dashboards start to provide useful data? Goren thinks they will but only with the effective use of GenAI to identify insightful analytics.

Looking at businesses analytics, Goren finds: “The rise of generative AI (GenAI) has sparked debates about the relevance of dashboards, with some predicting their demise. However, this view neglects the fundamental strength of dashboards in providing a basic yet clear overview of business performance. Historically, their misuse in detailed analytics – attempting to answer complex questions like “Why is this number down?” – led to confusion rather than clarity.”

So how might this be manifest? Goren foresees: “In 2024, dashboards will still have a place in the enterprise as a valuable tool, but organizations will finally accept their limitations. GenAI-powered analytics agents will enable a pivotal shift. These agents are capable of advanced data analysis, a role dashboards were never suited for.”

As an example, Goren finds: “They can uncover underlying trends and insights, allowing dashboards to return to their original purpose: offering a clear, unified view of the business’s current state. This evolution will present a more streamlined approach to business intelligence. Dashboards will maintain a focus on overall business health, while GenAI agents can delve into the complexities, extracting actionable insights. This synergy will optimize the use of both tools, ensuring comprehensive yet clear business analysis and decision-making.”