According to the Zhizhong Financial APP, under the guidance of the China Health Economic Research Center at Peking University, the 2024 edition of the "Health Blue Book for Five Million Physical Examination Participants" based on retinal AI assessment (hereinafter referred to as "the Blue Book") was officially released in Peking on December 20, 2024, jointly initiated by Beijing Tongren Hospital, a subsidiary of Capital Medical University, the Key Laboratory of Medical AI Research and Validation of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Aikang Group, and YingTong Technology, with support from People's Health.

This marks the sixth consecutive year since 2019 that Aikang Group and YingTong Technology have released the "Health Blue Book for Physical Examination Participants" based on retinal AI assessment. It is particularly noteworthy that this year's Blue Book has a total sample size exceeding 5 million, and the number of participants continuously engaged in AI retinal health assessments has for the first time exceeded 800,000, providing a real and valuable observational "window" into the eye health status, health risk distribution, and public awareness of health management and prevention in China's physical examination population.

The 2024 edition of the "Health Blue Book for Five Million Physical Examination Participants" based on retinal AI assessment has been officially released.

At the press conference, Wei Wenbin, Vice President of Beijing Tongren Hospital, Zhang Ligang, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Aikang Group, and Zhang Dali, Founder and Chairman of YingTong Technology, each gave thematic presentations, engaging in in-depth discussions and sharing on the integration of new technologies in retinal imaging technology and the field of Medical AI, as well as the latest developments and cutting-edge application practices.

The 2024 edition of the "Health Blue Book of Five Million Physical Examination Populations" based on retinal AI assessment is released.

In addition, a special session for patient sharing and expert in-depth interpretation was set up on site. Ms. Zhang, who had undergone a physical examination at the flagship center of Ai Kang Group's Ai Kang Jun'an International in Peking, benefited from the newly added AI retinal health assessment project in the physical examination package. Without any symptoms, she discovered signs of retinal detachment and promptly went to the hospital for further diagnosis and treatment upon the advice of Ai Kang medical staff, narrowly avoiding the crisis of blindness. Ms. Zhang's personal experience vividly illustrates the importance and positive significance of regular retinal examinations, early screening, early diagnosis, and early treatment.

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Eyes can also experience "premature aging."

Continuous AI monitoring is significantly meaningful.

Ai Kang launched the AI retinal health assessment project in 2018. The usage in the first year was over 200,000, and every year since, more than 1 million people have used the service. Among the accumulated data of over 5 million instances, more than 800,000 people have undergone two or more tests, which means that 16% of the total sample population has undergone multiple tests in the Ai Kang system," emphasized Zhang Ligang, the founder, Director, and CEO of Ai Kang Group, while interpreting the "Blue Book." "The changes in the eye data from these multiple tests, combined with the physical examination data, are highly significant as they help us further identify the associations between retinal changes and systemic diseases."

Zhang Ligang, founder, chairman, and CEO of Ai Kang Group.

What important findings does the 2024 edition of the "Blue Book" have? Let's take a look together.

The "Blue Book" conducted a data analysis on participants of the AI retinal health assessment at Ai Kang Physical Examination from July 2018 to June 2024, accumulating a sample size of 5,241,955 individuals, with an average age of 42.2 years.

Distribution of the sample population.

The assessment includes five major categories with 50 various types of abnormalities, among which 43.0% of participants had two or more abnormal results, with a total of 23,230 significant positive cases identified (detection rate of 0.4%).

*All Ai Kang Group physical examination data are stored using "privatized deployment of medical cloud," and all data used in the reports are organized and analyzed after personal privacy information is de-identified to ensure user privacy security.

More than 7 out of 10 people have fundus abnormalities.

These four types of retinal abnormalities pose a serious threat to eye health.

Among over 5 million AI retinal health assessment results, the overall abnormal detection rate is 77.4%. Historical comparison analysis shows that the overall detection rate of retinal abnormalities is still on the rise, with a total detection rate of over 78% projected for 2023-2024.

Total detection rate of retinal abnormalities over the years.

Among various retinal abnormalities, retinal vascular abnormalities, refractive changes in the fundus, macular abnormalities, and optic disc and nerve abnormalities are the four main types that threaten eye health, with a detection rate of retinal vascular abnormalities reaching 48.0%; the historical change in refractive changes in the fundus is the most significant, increasing by 1.2% compared to last year, which may be related to the high prevalence, younger age, and severity of myopia in China.

Four main types of retinal abnormalities.

More than 1 in 100 individuals may be at risk of blindness.

These retinal abnormalities are the culprits of blindness.

The "Blue Book" identified a total of 58,088 cases of blinding diseases, with a detection rate of 1.1%, accounting for 1.4% of the overall abnormality rate. Among the five major blinding diseases globally (cataracts, glaucoma, pathological myopia, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration), except for cataracts, the other four occur on the retina. Retinal diseases usually progress slowly and are not easy to detect, but pose a significant threat to vision; thus, regular retinal health assessments are an effective means to prevent and treat retinal diseases.

Blinding retinal abnormalities.

The detection rate of abnormalities significantly increases in the population aged 40 and above.

More than 9 out of 10 people have abnormalities.

The "Blue Book" shows that as age increases, the detection rate of retinal abnormalities significantly rises, especially in the population aged 40 and above, where the detection rate rapidly grows to over 90%. This means that more than 9 out of 10 people have abnormalities. It is recommended that people aged 40 and above pay attention to eye health and regularly undergo retinal examinations.

Distribution of the detection rate of retinal abnormalities by age and gender.

Age 40 is the "watershed" for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk.

It is recommended to have a health check at least once a year.

In China, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are the main "killers" threatening the life and health of residents. Eagle Eye Technology can assess the risk of cardiovascular diseases through retinal images using AI learned from Big Data②, categorizing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease risks into four levels (low risk, medium-low risk, medium-high risk, and high risk).

Data from the "Blue Book" indicates that the cardiovascular risk predicted by AI increases with age, showing a leap at age 40, suggesting a significant change in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk, and it is recommended that individuals aged 40 and above undergo a health check at least once a year to timely identify potential health risks related to cardiovascular diseases.

Age distribution of medium-high and high-risk populations for cardiovascular diseases.

Proportion of high and medium risk groups for cerebrovascular disease by age.

The risk of dementia spikes dramatically after the age of 60.

It is recommended to undergo 100% relevant screenings.

The retinal dementia risk index is developed by YingTong Technology based on the internationally recognized CAIDE dementia risk assessment model through AI learning, and is used to assess the risk of developing dementia within 20 years. According to the data from the 'Blue Book', the high and medium risk of dementia is concentrated among those aged 50 and above, with a dramatic increase after the age of 60. The 'Blue Book' suggests that older age groups should regularly undergo AI dementia risk assessments, reasonably arrange lifestyle habits, and be vigilant against the onset of dementia.

Proportion of high and medium risk groups for dementia by age.

Good news!

Continuous monitoring helps improve overall eye health.

From the comparative data of abnormal fundus detection rates over the years, there has been a decrease in the detection rates of several typical fundus abnormalities in 2023-2024. Among them, the macular abnormalities have continued to decline for five consecutive years, from 35.3% to 31.6%; the optic disc and optic nerve abnormalities have decreased from 8.7% in 2018-2019 to 7.7%. This change reflects that the eye health status of some populations undergoing physical examinations has improved to a certain extent.

Comparison of abnormal detection rates over the years.

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Only "a step away" from blindness.

A single fundus photo captures asymptomatic retinal detachment.

A single physical examination saves the path to brightness.

"I am in my early 30s this year, usually working with not much intensity, and my physical condition is quite good. I never expected that a routine physical examination would reveal that my eyes might go blind!" Ms. Zhang, a lawyer, still recalls her diagnosis with lingering fear. During a routine annual physical examination at iKang, it helped her timely discover signs of retinal detachment.

Ms. Zhang recalled that there had never been any discomfort in her eyes before, and the most terrifying part was when the doctor told her that her retinal detachment had started six months ago, and she had no idea.

Wei Wenbin, the vice president of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, stated: "Not everyone with retinal detachment shows symptoms; it also depends on the location and area of the detachment. For example, if the retinal detachment is at the bottom, the bottom retina reflects the upper field of vision. We usually look at things horizontally and rarely look up, so it's not easy to notice a loss of vision with a lower retinal detachment."

Wei Wenbin, the vice president of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, was on site conducting a case interpretation.

Following the timely advice from Aikang Medical, Ms. Zhang went to a tertiary hospital for a follow-up examination the next day. The expert's diagnosis completely matched the physical examination report, confirming her condition. Subsequently, under the hospital's professional arrangements, Ms. Zhang quickly underwent retinal surgery to begin treatment as early as possible.

Professor Wei Wenbin also stated that Ms. Zhang was very fortunate, as she received a clear diagnosis and timely treatment through the physical examination, avoiding the possibility of blindness due to retinal detachment. Retinal detachment is a blinding disease, and the only treatment method is surgery. The timing of the surgery is closely related to our vision prognosis; if this opportunity is lost and the surgery is not performed well, the recovery of visual function will be very limited.

Aikang Medical staff conducted an AI retinal health assessment for Ms. Zhang on site.

Cases like that of Ms. Zhang are not isolated. The "Blue Book" defines this as "significant positive changes in the fundus," referring to severe abnormalities occurring in the retina that require immediate diagnosis at a Hospital to rule out lesions that could cause severe vision loss. Failure to seek timely medical attention may lead to irreversible vision damage. Among the cumulative sample population in the "Blue Book," there are 335 cases of other significant positives, including retinal detachment to which Ms. Zhang belongs.

From July 2018 to June 2024, in six years, Aikang Group and Eagle Eye Technology have cumulatively discovered 23,230 significant positives (detection rate of 0.4%), ringing the alarm for clients in a timely manner.

Age distribution of significant positive detection rates.

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AI empowers Medical.

Initiate inclusive health management.

Under the grand blueprint of building "Health China," challenges and opportunities coexist. Emerging productivity represented by AI is reshaping various industries with unprecedented power. When AI meets ophthalmic medical imaging, the Medical field is witnessing an unprecedented technological revolution. This revolution will not only promote the advancement of medical technology but also assist in the in-depth implementation of "Health China," allowing high-quality Medical Services to benefit thousands of families.

“Currently, AI technology can screen for retinal diseases. With the increase in data volume and the growing accuracy of AI technology, I believe that it will soon be possible to use AI to diagnose diseases without any issue from an inclusive perspective.” Professor Wei Wenbin mentioned in an interview with the media, “The most important factor for young people's retinal health is high myopia, as the population of myopic individuals is increasing. The retinal changes associated with high myopia pose the greatest threat to the eye health of this group in the future.”

Zhang Dali, founder and chairman of Eagle Eye Technology, shared: “On the road of empowering Medical with AI, Eagle Eye Airdoc has been striving to make it inclusive, making quality health services as ubiquitous as air. We are also working hard to expand our product line to integrated diagnosis and treatment with AI empowerment, such as AI eye movement visual training machines for treating strabismus and amblyopia, and non-laser, safer light intervention LED non-invasive myopia therapy devices. This is our ongoing progress.”

Zhang Dali, founder and chairman of Eagle Eye Technology

“China has only over 0.06 million ophthalmologists, but as a major country for eye diseases, the burden of eye conditions is still on the rise. Many patients do not seek medical attention when there are no symptoms in the early stages of eye diseases, and often delay treatment until symptoms appear.” Zhang Ligang discussed, “If grassroots Community hospitals and Physical Examination centers could leverage AI technology to assist in the early discovery of eye diseases, especially in remote and underdeveloped regions, it would effectively alleviate the challenges faced due to the shortage of ophthalmologists and the difficulty of achieving early detection of retinal diseases within the traditional Medical Services model.”

In 2018, to better safeguard client health and maximize Medical inclusion, iKang fully launched the iKangAI+ plan and reached a strategic partnership with Eagle Eye Technology, introducing the AI retinal health assessment project in its Physical Examination centers.

Now, after six years of exploration, iKang has successively launched more than ten AI products covering specialized screenings for the retina, breast, heart, cerebrovascular health, teeth, and bones, creating a nascent scale of the “iKang AI Matrix,” already providing AI and genetic testing services to tens of millions.

On December 6, iKang announced the establishment of the “iKang Zhihui Kangyun IaaS Open Platform,” with Eagle Eye Technology as one of the partners to collectively launch the IaaS 2024 Alliance plan, opening and sharing AI technology to benefit more people while empowering small and medium-sized Physical Examination institutions and grassroots Community hospitals, co-building a new industrial ecosystem.