Bashir Dodo, 29-year-old Nigerian doctoral student, has been awarded for developing a technique for identifying and diagnosing damage to the human eye.
Dodo won the ‘Best Student Paper’ at the BIOIMAGING 2018 conference in Portugal
Bashir studies at the department of Computer Science of London’s Brunel University.
He developed a new algorithm for OCT, which is an Optical Coherence Tomography machine.
Having taken inspiration from the psychological concept of similarity, Bashir used the ideas of continuity and discontinuity to develop an OCT algorithm that can identify where one layer of the retina transitions to the next.
Speaking about his new diagnosis technique, Bashir, said “Layer segmentation is one of the early processes of OCT retina image analysis, and already plays an important role in clinics.
“For example, the thickness profile of the Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer – which can be calculated directly from the segment layer – is used in the diagnosis of glaucoma, which is one of the most common causes of sight-loss world-wide.
“Automatically segmenting the layers could provide critical information for abnormality detection by comparing them to the average population, and monitoring the progress of disease against previous scans.” He said.
Whilst doctors are currently able to identify the layers manually from OCT images, Bashir’s new technique automatically segments images of the retina, allowing specialists to spot abnormalities quicker and better track the progress of medication.
It’s therefore hoped the new technique, which can separate the retina into seven distinct layers, could improve the accuracy and speed of diagnosis, and help save the sight of patients by identifying damage earlier.