Steffenie Langby has a common, early-stage form of diabetic eye disease, and is adamant that more needs to be done to bridge the access gap for people living in remote communities.

“We know that vision loss from diabetes is preventable with early detection and timely management, however screening rates for the disease remain low,” she says.

As a member of CERA’s Consumer Program, she is working alongside Associate Professor Lisa Zhuoting Zhu, CERA’s Head of Ophthalmic Epidemiology, on the development of an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered camera that aims to predict the onset of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

With Dr Wenyi Hu, Associate Professor Zhu is currently working towards implementing this innovative technology into GP and other primary care clinics where it could reduce the barriers to accessing care.

“Steffenie has generously served on our advisory board for this project, providing invaluable consumer-informed insights and is helping shape the long-term vision of the program,” says Associate Professor Zhu.

“The beauty of incorporating a consumer voice like Steffenie’s in a grant application is that it grounds the project in lived experience.

“It allows us to reframe the research around genuine unmet needs and real-world challenges, ensuring the proposal is not only scientifically rigorous but also meaningful and relevant to those it aims to serve.”

Rural access

Steffenie hopes the technology will reduce the burden of diabetes across the country.

“Early identification of this condition could make a huge difference to outcomes for many people, I’m really committed to making this technology accessible for people in rural and underserved communities, as well as for those people that find the current testing cost a burden,” says Steffenie.

So far, Steffenie has advised CERA on the remote use of technology where access to the internet could be difficult and supported the writing of a grant submission.

This story was originally published in Creating the future in sight: Annual Review 2025.