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Scientist Uses Retinal Scan to Diagnose Autism

Benny Zee, a scientist from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, demonstrates retinal eye scanning technology used for early detection of autism, during an interview with Reuters in Hong Kong, China 29 January, 2021. Reuters
Benny Zee, a scientist from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, demonstrates retinal eye scanning technology used for early detection of autism, during an interview with Reuters in Hong Kong, China 29 January, 2021. Reuters
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Scientist Uses Retinal Scan to Diagnose Autism

Benny Zee, a scientist from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, demonstrates retinal eye scanning technology used for early detection of autism, during an interview with Reuters in Hong Kong, China 29 January, 2021. Reuters
Benny Zee, a scientist from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, demonstrates retinal eye scanning technology used for early detection of autism, during an interview with Reuters in Hong Kong, China 29 January, 2021. Reuters

A Hong Kong scientist has developed a method to use artificial intelligence to scan retinas of children as young as six to detect early autism or the risk of autism and hopes to develop a commercial product this year.

Retinal eye scanning can help to improve early detection and treatment outcomes for children, said Benny Zee, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

"The importance of starting early intervention is that they are still growing, they are still developing. So there is a bigger chance of success," Zee said.

His method uses a high-resolution camera with new computer software which analyzes a combination of factors including fiber layers and blood vessels in the eye.

The technology can be used to identify children at risk of autism and get them into treatment programs sooner, said Zee.

Seventy children were tested using the technology, 46 with autism and a control group of 24.

The technology was able to identify the children with autism 95.7 percent of the time. The average age tested was 13, with the youngest being six.

Zee's findings have been published in EClinicalMedicine, a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Autism specialists welcomed his findings but said there remained a huge stigma, with parents often reluctant to believe their children have autism even when there are clear signs.

Zee told Reuters that his research is intended to be a supplemental tool to a professional assessment by licensed healthcare professionals.

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China Heatwaves Boost Ice Factory Sales

A worker uses tongs to move ice blocks inside a refrigerated store at the Feichao Ice Factory in Hangzhou. Heatwaves across China have caused demand for ice to soar - AFP
A worker uses tongs to move ice blocks inside a refrigerated store at the Feichao Ice Factory in Hangzhou. Heatwaves across China have caused demand for ice to soar - AFP
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China Heatwaves Boost Ice Factory Sales

A worker uses tongs to move ice blocks inside a refrigerated store at the Feichao Ice Factory in Hangzhou. Heatwaves across China have caused demand for ice to soar - AFP
A worker uses tongs to move ice blocks inside a refrigerated store at the Feichao Ice Factory in Hangzhou. Heatwaves across China have caused demand for ice to soar - AFP

In a high-ceilinged room on the outskirts of eastern China's Hangzhou, workers use tongs to slide large blocks of frosty white ice along a metal track into a refrigerated truck.

Sales have picked up in recent weeks, boosted by heatwaves sweeping the whole country as summer sets in, the owner of Feichao ice factory, Sun Chao, told AFP.

Globally, heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense because of climate change, experts say, and China is no exception -- 2024 was the country's hottest on record, and this year is also set to be a scorcher.

Last week, authorities warned of heat-related health risks across large swathes of eastern China, including Zhejiang province where Hangzhou is located.

"In the spring, autumn, and winter, a higher temperature of two to three degrees doesn't have a big impact on our sales," Sun said.

"But in the summer, when temperatures are slightly higher, it has a big impact."

Feichao is a relatively small facility that sells ice to markets, produce transporters, and event organizers.

As the mercury soared past 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in multiple cities across China recently, ice from businesses like Sun's was used to cool down huge outdoor venues.

In neighbouring Jiangsu province, organisers of a football match attended by over 60,000 people placed more than 10,000 large blocks of ice around the stadium, according to the state-owned Global Times.

As AFP watched lorries being loaded with Feichao's ice on Wednesday, an employee from a nearby seafood shop came on foot to purchase two ice blocks -- each selling for around $3.50 -- hauling them off in a large plastic bag.

"In May and June, I can sell around 100 tonnes a day. In July, that number grows, and I can sell around 300 to 400 tonnes," Sun told AFP.

China has endured a string of extreme summers in recent years.

In June, authorities issued heat warnings in Beijing as temperatures in the capital rose to nearly 40 degrees Celsius, while state media said 102 weather stations across the country logged their hottest-ever June day.

The same month, six people were killed and more than 80,000 evacuated due to floods in southern Guizhou province.

China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that scientists generally agree are driving climate change and making extreme weather more intense and frequent.

It is also a global leader in renewable energy, adding capacity at a faster rate than any other country.