11 Year Old Develops AI App to Detect Eye Diseases With ‘70% Accuracy’

Leena Rafeeq, an 11-year-old girl from Dubai and of Malayali origin, has created an artificial intelligence (AI) app called Ogler EyeScan that she claims can detect various eye diseases and conditions. The app uses a scanning process via an iPhone and is currently under review in Apple’s app store. According to Leena, the app utilizes advanced computer vision and machine learning algorithms to analyze parameters such as light and color intensity, distance, and look-up points to locate the eyes within the frame range, and identify any light burst issues and whether the eyes are positioned inside the scanner frame.

Leena spent six months researching and developing the app, gaining knowledge in eye conditions, computer vision, algorithms, machine learning models, and advanced levels of Apple iOS development, including sensors data, AR, CreateML, and CoreML. Ogler EyeScan can detect eye conditions such as Arcus, Melanoma, Pterygium, and Cataract with nearly 70% accuracy, and metrics and detection for light-related issues are being deployed to enable users to retake the scan.

Leena’s achievement has been widely praised on social media, with many applauding her for her innovative thinking at such a young age. Her younger sister Hana also gained fame for becoming the youngest iOS app developer at the age of nine. Her storytelling app even caught the attention of Apple CEO Tim Cook.