Artificial intelligence (AI) can predict whether someone with type 2 diabetes will soon develop kidney disease based on changes in their eye scans, according to a study.
The study, presented to Diabetes UK’s Professional Conference 2025, found AI can use the scans to predict which patients will go on to develop kidney disease years before they are diagnosed by traditional methods.
The move could mean that many patients who go on to develop kidney disease could have their condition found sooner as many early stage cases have no symptoms.
“By revealing intricate patterns in images taken during eye screenings, this AI tool could in future alert healthcare professionals to early signs of kidney damage.
Researchers have now found that these images can potentially be used to also identify kidney disease among type 2 diabetes patients.
