National AI project screens over 43,000 diabetic patients to prevent vision loss in Oman

Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman has introduced a national project using artificial intelligence (AI) to screen diabetic patients for diabetic retinopathy, making it the third country globally to implement this technology. The initiative aims to create a framework for early detection and management, reducing vision loss among the 15 percent of adult Omanis living with diabetes.

Oman is the third country in the world to implement this project, confirming its commitment to keeping pace with technological and digital advancements. This includes adopting the latest technologies and utilizing AI to enhance and improve diagnostic accuracy, saving time and costs in detecting diabetic retinopathy in patients.

Implemented across 25 health facilities in its first phase, the program has served over 43,000 patients. The AI system analyzed retinal images and identified more than 12,000 high-risk cases that required specialized clinical care, achieving a scientific accuracy rate of 91.3 percent.

Anas bin Nasser Al-Kimyani, Director of the National Center for Virtual Health, noted that the initiative reduced clinic wait lists by 87 percent—cutting appointment wait times from 62 days to just 8 days. Diagnostic assessment times also fell from over an hour to approximately 15 minutes, allowing specialists to focus on complex cases while lowering operational costs by 43.2 percent.

Looking ahead, the Ministry of Health plans to extend the AI screening model to cover remote areas and integrate checks for other eye conditions, such as glaucoma and keratoconus, alongside developing a local AI engine trained on Omani data.