Industry News
Norway Becomes First National Health System to Adopt AI for Diabetic Eye Screening
Global medtech company Eyenuk has secured approval to roll out its EyeArt AI Eye Screening System across the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority, in what is being described as the first large-scale adoption of autonomous AI technology for detecting eye disease within a national health system.
The deployment, announced this week, represents a key milestone in the use of artificial intelligence to address diabetic retinopathy (DR), one of the most common and preventable causes of vision loss globally. Eyenuk’s EyeArt is the first FDA-cleared AI solution for the autonomous detection of more-than-mild and vision-threatening DR.
Ulrich Spreng, medical director at the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority, said the technology would expand access to care: "EyeArt helps us to examine more people with diabetes," said Ulrich Spreng, medical director at the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority, in the release. "With better use of health care professionals' time, we expect that the waiting time for retinal examinations will be significantly reduced. A better patient overview will also provide more efficient management and control and create the foundation for greater equality in treatment."
The South-Eastern authority is Norway’s largest health region, covering 3.1 million people – more than half the national population – including the capital, Oslo. Its deployment of EyeArt aligns with Norway’s national goal of ensuring more than 95% of patients with diabetes receive timely retinal examinations. Currently, just 55% undergo screening.
Economic analysis suggests the potential impact is significant. A Menon Economics report estimated that achieving 95% screening coverage could cut Norway’s annual disease burden by around NOK 250 million.
The EyeArt rollout is being facilitated by Human Bytes, a Nordic consultancy specialising in healthcare AI deployment and a distributor for Eyenuk.
Dr Maja Gran Erke, clinical project manager in the national diabetic retinopathy initiative, said AI-driven screening would be transformative: "Diabetic retinopathy is the most common complication of diabetes and the most common cause of vision loss and blindness in the working age. The new AI solution will change the way we do retinal examinations".
Evidence of the challenge was highlighted in a 2023 pilot study published in Biomedicines. The Oslo-based research found that nearly two-thirds of patients with diabetes had never undergone an eye examination, despite living with the condition for a median of eight years. Of those who had previously been screened, almost 70% had gone more than two years without follow-up.
The study’s authors concluded that Norway urgently needs systematic diabetic retinopathy screening programs, citing the potential to prevent vision loss with timely treatment.
Eyenuk’s system could now form the backbone of such a program, with plans underway to scale deployment across Norway’s wider health system in the coming years.
