Sounds far-fetched, but was the question driving Aishah Ismail’s research to detect early signs of stroke. The theory? Focusing on the optic nerve head where tiny changes in blood flow could signal a person’s risk of stroke before any symptoms even appear.
To measure these changes, she explored using Laser Speckle Flowgraphy—a fast, non-invasive imaging method that captures real-time blood movement in just four seconds. No eye drops. No bright flashes. Just a simple, painless scan.
Aishah blends biomedical science with AI, using rabbits as preclinical models to study blood flow from the eye to the brain—unlocking insights into the Circle of Willis and advancing non-invasive diagnostics.
Aishah received the Merdeka Award Grant for International Attachment in (2018) to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, (USA).
Read more about her experience here:
