Increasing Access to Glaucoma Care Through AI-Enabled Online Glaucoma Testing

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, affecting more than 80 million people, and numbers are projected to rise as the global population ages. In many developing countries tens of millions of people are affected, with more than half remaining undiagnosed. Early detection and continuous monitoring are critical to preventing vision loss, yet access to conventional diagnostic tools such as visual field machines remains limited in many low-resource settings. 

To address this challenge, the Melbourne Rapid Fields (MRF) Online Perimetry system was developed by GLANCE Optical, in collaboration with The University of Melbourne and The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. This AI-enabled, device-independent visual field test does not require expensive specialised equipment, it can run on any laptop/desktop computer through a web browser (Chrome, Safari etc.) and has now been validated across multiple international studies.  It has also been deployed in several community programs, providing a new pathway to accessible, scalable glaucoma care. 

MRF Online Perimetry Validation in China 

A recent paper published in Translational Vision Science & Technology (TVST) demonstrated that MRF Online Perimetry offers reliable and validated results in Chinese patients with glaucoma.( https://tvst.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2810437) The study, in collaboration with Prof Yuangbo Liang and Dr De-Fu Chen at the Wenzhou Ophthalmic Centre, compared MRF with the Humphrey Field Analyzer and found strong concordance, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.91 for mean deviation. Over ninety patients were tested, confirming reproducibility across diverse presentations of glaucoma. Importantly, the inclusion of native language AI-guidance meant that patients were able to undertake the test more comfortably and accurately. With glaucoma affecting more than 21 million people in China, the study underscores the enormous potential of MRF to act as a cost-effective alternative to conventional perimetry for both clinical care and large-scale screening. 

Screening for Glaucoma: Global Impact enabled by AI Technology 

Building on this validation, MRF has already been deployed in screening program in rural WenZhou, where it is integrated with an AI-enabled fundus camera to deliver combined functional and structural assessment from a single community encounter. More than 800 patients have been screened for glaucoma through this program in a short few months, illustrating how AI-integrated pathways can bring advanced eye care to underserved populations and identify those at risk much earlier than would otherwise be possible. 

Beyond China, the reach of MRF is expanding through partnerships in several other countries. In Cambodia, the system has been introduced in collaboration with Dr Geoffrey Cohn and Dr Ek Sarou at Battambang Ophthalmic Care Eye Hospital. Hundreds of patients have benefited from visual field testing that was previously unavailable. In India, a community-based vision screening program led by Dr Shibal Bhartiya in Gurugram demonstrated that MRF is not only practical but also highly acceptable to patients across different literacy levels. Of 369 participants surveyed, 96 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the test was simple to use, including 87 percent of individuals who self-identified as illiterate.  In Nepal, a collaboration with Nepal Eye Hospital and Sudrishti Eye Clinic, supported by Dr Suman Thapa, has brought MRF into community screening programs.  The portability of MRF and its AI-enabled gaze-tracking functions make it an ideal solution for application for glaucoma screening.  

Moving Beyond the Hospital: Home Monitoring of Glaucoma 

In addition to screening programmes, MRF is showing strong potential as a tool for home-based glaucoma monitoring. A recent three-month prospective trial in Melbourne followed fifty-three glaucoma patients who performed regular, unsupervised MRF tests at home on their own computers and tablets. The results showed excellent reliability, with test–retest correlations for mean deviation reaching 0.98 in close agreement with conventional in-clinic Humphrey testing (ICC 0.91). Patients reported that the test was straightforward to use, and the majority found that it integrated easily into their daily lives. Features such as AI-based webcam-based monitoring of gaze stability and viewing distance helped to ensure consistency even in these unsupervised test environments. These findings, presented at the World Glaucoma Congress 2025 in Hawaii, point towards a future where glaucoma management can move beyond the walls of centralised hospitals or clinics. Instead, patients can perform visual field testing more frequently at home, allowing earlier detection of progression and reducing the monitoring burden on overstretched clinical services. 

Towards a New Model of Glaucoma Care 

Taken together, these initiatives demonstrate a shift in how glaucoma care can be delivered. By moving from hospital-based systems to community and even home-based settings, and by combining AI with device-independent digital platforms, MRF Online Perimetry is opening new pathways to eyecare. This unique innovation is bringing early detection and reliable monitoring within the reach of patients who otherwise might never have access to such testing.