App detecting jaundice may prevent deaths in newborns

A smartphone app that allows users to check for jaundice in newborn babies simply by taking a picture of the eye may be an effective, low-cost way to screen for the condition, according to a pilot study led by UCL and UCLH. Jaundice, where the skin and whites of the eyes turn yellow, causes 114,000 newborn deaths and 178,000 cases of disability a year worldwide, despite being a treatable condition. Three quarters of deaths are in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The study, published in PLOS One , found that a new screening method quantifying the yellowness of the eye - which used images captured on a smartphone camera - can be as effective at detecting more severe jaundice as costly screening devices recommended for use in the UK. Dr Terence Leung (UCL Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering), senior author of the paper, said: "In many parts of the world, midwives and nurses rely on sight alone to assess jaundice. However, this is unreliable, especially for newborns with darker skin. "Our smartphone-based method provides a more robust assessment, ensuring serious cases do not go unnoticed.