The tech giant Google has developed an Artificial Intelligence or AI model that would be able to detect diabetic retinopathy.
The SVP of Global Affairs at the California based company, Kent Walker said that Google is currently working on "rolling out this diabetic retinopathy initiative in clinics in India" with an Alphabet-owned company named 'Verily,' which works on life sciences research and development.
Available data stated that almost 400 million people in this world are diabetes patient and a third of them are the victims of diabetic retinopathy, which affects blood vessels in the light-sensitive tissue called the retina that lines the back of the eye.
As per National Eye Institute, "It is the most common cause of vision loss among people with diabetes and the leading cause of vision impairment and blindness among working-age adults."
Walker wrote in a blog post on Thursday, December 13 that by using the new technology doctors as well as medical staffs can "screen more patients in less time, sparing people from blindness through a more timely diagnosis."
It should be noted that in many cases, diabetic retinopathy often goes undetected because people do not always get screening. Walker said that it happens due to the very "limited access to eye care specialists and staff capable of screening for the disease. This is a problem that AI can help us solve."
"Deploying this technology in underserved communities that don't have enough eye specialists could be life-changing for many," he added.
Google started to develop this model in collaboration with eye specialists in India and US a few years ago. They claimed that this AI system will help the doctors to look at the back side of the eye for signs of the disease. Walker added that the results are very promising and the company is looking forward to "make the benefits of AI available to everyone".
He also said that some selected organizations "who apply to the challenge will receive support from Google's AI experts and Google.org grant funding from a $25 million pool."
