Out of the total population of visually impaired people across the globe, 20% of them are in India. Almost 40 million people in India are visually impaired or blind. Another shocking fact reveals that there are only around 25,000 ophthalmologists in India for a population of nearly 1.39 billion people. Considering the poor ratio of eye doctors to the total number of people in the country, preventive diagnosis of eye diseases and providing proper eye care is a challenge. The good news is that artificial intelligence in eye care is being used effectively to prevent eye diseases that cause blindness.
Common causes (eye diseases) that cause blindness in India
Here are the causes of visual impairment and preventable blindness.
- Cataract
- Refractive error
- Glaucoma
- Corneal blindness
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Surgical complications
- Posterior capsular opacification
- Xerophthalmia
AI technology is being used in various fields and the healthcare industry is no exception to this. The use of AI systems in eye care has the potential for image recognition. Due to this, the application of AI for medical diagnosis is rising in India. Image recognition and analysis are crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases. This in turn will help prevent blindness.
The AI systems that function on various algorithms are capable of differentiating between normal eye and abnormal eye images. These AI systems have been trained using different eye images. Eye disease detection or treatment using artificial intelligence can minimize visual impairment or loss of vision.
Here is how the application of artificial intelligence in ophthalmology is helping to eradicate avoidable blindness in India.
Case Study 1: The use of artificial intelligence in eye care for children
The rising number of cases of blindness and visual impairment in children had become a cause of concern for the Telangana government. The main reason behind this was the lack of trained and experienced ophthalmologists in the state. In order to prevent blindness in children, there was a need for a tool that could help monitor the cases and identify the high-risk ones. In November 2016, an MOU was signed between the Telangana government and Microsoft India.
After a month, Microsoft India partnered with LV Prasad Eye Institute to launch MINE (Microsoft Intelligent Network for Eyecare). The AI-powered MINE screening tool is using different datasets of patients across geographies to develop ML predictive models for visual impairment and various eye diseases. It also has the potential to predict whether an eye surgery will be successful for a particular patient or not. Telangana was the first state in India to make use of an AI system for eye screening.
Case Study 2: Detection of diabetic retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is a common occurrence in diabetics. In this condition, elevated blood sugar levels damage the blood vessels of the retina, leading to complete vision loss with time. In 2013, Arvind Eye Hospital entered into a partnership with Google to create an algorithm that would help in the early detection of this disease.
The screening tool was developed by using Google’s deep ML algorithm. This diagnostic tool has an accuracy of 98.6 percent in detecting diabetic retinopathy. This tool is effectively being used in 71 vision centers set up by Arvind Eye Hospital in rural Tamil Nadu.
Case Study 3: AI-powered cataract screening through a mobile app
An AI-powered smartphone app has been developed by the Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) to enable cataract screening for a large number of people. Preliminary eye screening can be carried out by just clicking a picture of the eye. This app also has the potential to detect macular disintegration.
Case Study 4: AI-based retinal imaging screening
3Nethra is a digital, mobile healthcare device developed by Forus Health. The digital non-mydriatic camera helps in capturing high-resolution images of the human eye. 3Nethra is useful in detecting common eye problems that lead to blindness. It is already being used by 20+ countries globally and has impacted the lives of more than two million patients.
Retinal imaging APIs based on artificial intelligence is integrated into the 3Nethra device using Microsoft Azure IoT. This technology enables an AI doctor to get insights even when working in eye camps located in remote areas with poor connectivity.
The use of AI in healthcare is growing tremendously and this trend will continue in the future as well. The current state of artificial intelligence in ophthalmology is promising and the future remains bright too.
