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Chittenango
Lions Club |
CRADLE - Free
Smartphone App for Leukocoria Detection
CRADLE (ComputeR Assisted
Detector LEukocoria) smartphone app searches for
traces of abnormal light reflections from the retina of the eye, called leukocoria or “white eye”. It is a primary symptom of
retinoblastoma (an uncommon, but very serious issue in young children), as well
as other less serious eye disorders. Leukocoria or “white eye disease” is simply a term for the
outward appearance of any eye condition which causes the eye to abnormally
reflect white light. It can sometimes be
seen in the photos we take. In very
young children, who we tend to take lots of pictures of, the appearance of leukocoria in photographs we take can be an indication that
there may be a serious eye problem in the developing retina. This should be a
parent’s warning that their child needs to be seen by a medical
professional. Be aware there are other reasons
that a white eye reflection might show up in photographs when no problem exists
at all, but if it does occur in photos (especially repeatedly) it needs to be
investigated with a medical professional to be safe.
The CRADLE App is
available as a free smartphone app, developed by researchers at Baylor
University, for high level screenings, and scans all of your phone photographs
using an artificial intelligence algorithm to detect photos with faces and
looks at those images scanning the eyes for any evidence of leukocoria. Research has suggested 
(https://cs.baylor.edu/~hamerly/leuko/)
that this app enables parents to potentially detect leukocoric
issues in photos of their children as much as 1.3-yr, on average, earlier than
problems are being detected in normal wellness examinations. As a user of this
app, once set up, the app will automatically scan your smartphone photos and
alerts you should it detect a photo showing eyes that might display a potential
leukocoric issue. The CRADLE app is available for
both Android and Apple smartphones.
The CRADLE app is
completely free to install and use by searching for “white eye detector” on the
Google App Store for any Android phone, or on the Apple App Store for any Apple
iPhone. Every parent/grandparent should have and use this app in addition to
making sure your child is being seen at regularly scheduled eye screenings
(like the ones the Lions provide) and are being seen routinely by their pediatrician
or medical professional. If you try the CRADLE app and find it useful, please
help spread the word of this technology so that other parents might benefit
from this supplemental tool to help save the vision of children around the
globe.
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