The detection of eye diseases has gone high-tech. The Institute of Infocomm Research (I2R) is partnering Japan-based Topcon Corporation to come up with "intelligent" technology to pinpoint myopia, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) more quickly. Topcon manufactures eye-related instruments worldwide.

The technology also aims to improve the accuracy of such diagnoses. For instance, by making it possible for machines to automatically analyse eye images.

I2R, which comes under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), has set up a joint laboratory with the Japanese company at Fusionopolist for this purpose.

Singapore has one of the highest rates of myopia in the world. Some eight in 10 people who are aged 18 and over suffer from shortsightedness, in which near vision becomes blurry and spectacles are required to correct it.