[medinformatics] Louisiana Tech Teams Up with LSU Health Sciences to Combat Diabetes Complications

[Medical Informatics News]

Medical and computer science researchers from Louisiana Tech University and
LSU Health Sciences Center are teaming up to help the increasing number of
diabetics in areas of Louisiana, which has the highest diabetes-related death rate in the nation, where there are not
enough qualified specialists and technicians. From the Shreveport Times:

Many of those fatalities occur because Louisiana lacks early detection and manpower for proper treatment, experts
say. This is especially true when it comes to retinal exams that are needed because the blood vessels in the eyes are
some of the first affected by diabetes and can lead to diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in the
nation.

”There are very few retina specialists in the state; and every diabetic should have eyes exams,” said Sumeet Dua,
an assistant professor of computer science at the Ruston university. “But it’s difficult because there are so few who
can scan and not enough people know they should get check-ups. There’s also no system to store retina pictures
efficiently and accurately for future use.”

The project is about five years away from being used statewide,*but it will help study participants in the
near future. It eventually will use technology from Louisiana Optical Network Initiative, a premier high-speed online
system that will connect research institutions statewide with real-time data through the
Louisiana Board of Regents program.


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