Newborn babies often suffer from jaundice, but now thanks to a simple app, this liver disease can be easily identified in them. This app can identify jaundice from abnormal yellowness in children's eyes. The app enables a smartphone camera to detect jaundice in babies by seeing the yolk in their eyes.
Scientists from the University of Ghana and University College London have jointly developed an app called neoSCB. It was first tested on 300 children in Ghana and then on 37 children in London.
A report published in the journal Pediatrics states that if the sclera, a part of the white of the eye, is abnormally yellow, it may be a sign of jaundice. Although it has errors at times, the app has been ironed out to make it an identity assistant.
When 336 children were evaluated with the help of the app, 79 of them were suffering from severe jaundice according to the traditional method, but the app very accurately detected the eyes of 74 children and raised alarm bells and said that he was suffering from jaundice.
The app includes a digital 'transcutaneous bilirubinometer'. The children he described as having jaundice were later tested and indeed diagnosed with the disease.
Dr. Terence Leung, the app's mastermind, said the app is as reliable as commercial devices. The neoSCB app can detect jaundice in newborns very quickly and costs ten times less than other expensive systems.
This app is very useful for poor and remote areas and can save the lives of thousands of children. Jaundice is the yellowing of the baby's eyes due to a compound called bilirubin. It can spread to the brain, the child can lose hearing, brain function is affected and death can also occur.
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