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Non-fungible tokens in ophthalmology: what is it good for?

Eye volume 37, pages 2434–2435 (2023)Cite this article

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Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are a technology that has had a significant impact on various fields in computer science and economics [1]. Fundamentally, NFTs provide a means of certifying authenticity of various digital files, such as digital images. These NFTs rely upon blockchain, a technology which has been touted to have significant implications for healthcare, including outbreak tracing, genomic protection, and telemedicine [2]. However, the implications of NFTs for healthcare are less clear. In particular, in a field such as ophthalmology with rich visual data, NFTs may have significant implications for both providers and patients.

Fundamentally, a blockchain is the combination of a network and a database. Each computer in a network, known as a node, maintains a database and must adhere to a set of rules that govern how the database can be modified [3]. Each time the updates to the database are verified, the data is batched into blocks and appended to the previous block. Each new block carries a unique cryptographic signature of all previous blocks, hence the term ‘blockchain’ [3]. There exist different types of blockchains, each of which may be either public or private. The Bitcoin blockchain is analogous to a decentralised ledger that keeps track of transactions of its native currency, Bitcoin [4]. Another blockchain called Ethereum is analogous to a decentralised computer. The state of the computer is what each node must agree on, and it enables decentralised applications and organisations to be built upon it [3].

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Queensland, Herston, QLD, 4006, Australia

    James Pietris

  2. Health and Information, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia

    James Pietris, Stephen Bacchi, Sebastian Wiech, Yiran Tan, Joshua Kovoor, Aashray Gupta, Robert Casson & Weng Chan

  3. University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    Stephen Bacchi, Yiran Tan, Joshua Kovoor, Aashray Gupta, Robert Casson & Weng Chan

  4. Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia

    Stephen Bacchi, Yiran Tan, Joshua Kovoor, Robert Casson & Weng Chan

  5. Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, 5042, Australia

    Stephen Bacchi & Yiran Tan

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  1. James Pietris
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  8. Weng Chan
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Contributions

JP and SB were responsible for topic research and manuscript creation. SW contributed to establishing summaries of both blockchain and non-fungible tokens. IT, JK, AG, RC and WC reviewed the manuscript and provided feedback.

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Correspondence to James Pietris.

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Pietris, J., Bacchi, S., Wiech, S. et al. Non-fungible tokens in ophthalmology: what is it good for?. Eye 37, 2434–2435 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-022-02371-1

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