Health care leader coalition launches Alliance for Healthcare from the Eye initiative

The foundation manuscript was coauthored by several AHE members and published in JAMA Ophthalmology on May 8, 2025. Image credit: AdobeStock/CMalambo/peopleimages.com

During the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting in Salt Lake City held from May 3-7, a coalition of health care leaders announced the launch of the Alliance for Healthcare from the Eye (AHE), a cross sector initiative that intends to drive a shift from reactive to proactive health care by leveraging ocular data through the means of oculomics, according to a news release.¹

“The eye offers a non-invasive, high-resolution window into the body’s vascular, neurologic, and metabolic systems,” said Robert N. Weinreb, MD, distinguished professor and chair, Ophthalmology at the University of California, San Diego, and a founding member of the Alliance, in the release. “With advanced ophthalmic diagnostics, AI can help identify early indicators of heart disease, kidney dysfunction, neurodegeneration and other systemic diseases—before symptoms arise.”

The AHE leverages healthcare from the eye, an oculomics-based approach which has also been adopted by Topcon Healthcare in its partnership with Microsoft Corporation earlier this month.^1,2 The AHE will advocate for the integration artificial intelligence (AI)-powered analysis of ocular data into coordinated care networks of eye care, primary care, and specialty providers. Examples of ocular data to be utilized in this approach are retinal images and visual function tests.¹

Topcon’s health care from the eye approach utilizes a cloud-based network using Nuance Precision Imaging Network and the THI Harmony platform for prescreening for systemic and neurological disease by conducting and uploading non-invasive eye scans.²

This approach will allow AHE members to “aim to high-risk patients early, enhance access to care, enable risk stratification and triage to reduce late-stage disease burden, and shift cost structures toward preventive services,” according to the release.

“To effectively implement Healthcare from the Eye, a connected platform is needed to improve population health,” said Ali Tafreshi, CEO & President of Topcon Healthcare, Inc. and a founding member of the Alliance.

The foundation manuscript, coauthored by several AHE members and published in JAMA Ophthalmology on May 8, 2025, outlines the vision and foundation principles of healthcare from the eye. The paper also highlights how AI-powered ocular prescreening has the potential to support earlier detection, expand access, and reduce health care costs.¹ This may allow for “a more efficient and accessible model of care through cross-sector collaboration and existing clinical infrastructure,” the release stated.

“This is not just about eye care—it’s about unlocking new frontiers in whole-body health,” said David C. Rhew, MD, global chief medical officer at Microsoft and a founding member of the Alliance, in the release. “The Alliance is a model for responsible, scalable innovation that starts with increasing access to care for the patient and ends with better health outcomes.”

Therefore, the AHE focuses on access to affordable health care, data access and responsible AI utilization, patient care coordination, and program sustainability. The members of AHE aim to ensure that the health care from the eye approach is easy to deploy and ethical.¹

Participants in AHE also weighed in on the importance of the initiative in the release.

“The Alliance for Healthcare from the Eye has aligned top level expertise with academic and industry resources to help lead a transformational change in eyecare and medicine,” said Michael Chaglasian, OD, FAAO, associate professor at the Illinois College of Optometry, in the release. “The Illinois College of Optometry is honored to partner with all members as we work together to bring multimodal imaging, AI, and data driven analytics to the rapidly growing field of oculomics.”

“NECO is proud to collaborate with the Alliance for Health Care from the Eye to explore AI-powered innovation in oculomics,” said Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO, president of the New England College of Optometry(NECO), in the release. “Together, we aim to support efforts toward earlier disease detection and more equitable health care delivery.”

“The SUNY College of Optometry is honored to be a part of the Alliance for Healthcare from the Eye,” said David Troilo, PhD, president of SUNY College of Optometry, in the release. “Our mission, which revolves around research, education, and patient care, aligns well with the Alliance’s main domains of accessible health care, responsible AI, patient care coordination, and program sustainability. We are fully committed to innovation in diagnosis and treatment of eye disease and the development of AI solutions to enhance eye and vision care and ultimately improving overall health and well-being.”

“There’s immense potential in the eye as a window into whole person health—from diabetic retinopathy to other chronic conditions where regulated and clinically validated diagnostic technologies are emerging,” said Garry Choy, MD, MBA, chief clinical transformation officer of UnitedHealth Group, and medical advisor/cofounder of Q Bio, in the release. “The Alliance will further accelerate and catalyze clinical transformation: to align innovations that drive better patient outcomes by ensuring tools are clinically effective, evidence-based, safe, affordable, accessible, and scalable. Across the healthcare ecosystem, the Alliance will serve as a steward and advocate of solutions that will ultimately drive better patient outcomes.”

References:

1. The Alliance for Healthcare from the Eye launches to transform disease detection and coordinated care delivery with oculomics and artificial intelligence (AI). News release. Businesswire. May 13, 2025. Accessed May 20, 2025. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250513908245/en/The-Alliance-for-Healthcare-from-the-Eye-Launches-to-Transform-Disease-Detection-and-Coordinated-Care-Delivery-with-Oculomics-and-Artificial-Intelligence-AI

2. Topcon Healthcare Inc. partners with Microsoft to deliver AI-powered ‘Healthcare from the Eye’ through a connected health care platform. News release. May 9, 2025. Accessed May 20, 2025. https://global.topcon.com/news/12014/