Can a simple eye scan predict multiple sclerosis before symptoms strike?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects over 33,000 Australians and 2.8 million people worldwide, and it's the leading cause of non-traumatic neurological disability in Australian adults. We now know MS begins silently, years before symptoms appear — but there's currently no practical way to screen for it early. MRI can detect pre-symptomatic changes, but it's expensive, hard to access, and prone to anxiety-inducing incidental findings, making it unsuitable as a population screening tool. This project explores an exciting alternative: optical coherence tomography (OCT), a fast, low-cost retinal scan already used by optometrists across Australia. Because MS frequently damages the optic nerve, retinal changes may serve as an early warning sign — and these changes have just been incorporated into the updated international MS diagnostic criteria. Using the UK Biobank — the only dataset in the world with prospective OCT scans and long-term follow-up in a healthy population — you'll help determine whether retinal thinning can predict future MS diagnosis. Why get involved? - Work with a world-first dataset addressing a genuine unmet clinical need - Gain hands-on experience in Python-based statistical analysis (ROC curves, diagnostic accuracy, cost modelling) - Contribute to a proof-of-concept study that could underpin a future large-scale, grant-funded Australian trial - Ideal for students interested in neurology, ophthalmology, biostatistics, or health economics This is a chance to help reshape how MS is detected — potentially years before a single symptom appears.