Aravind Eye Hospital

Google announced it is licensing its AI model focused on detecting diabetic retinopathy to partners in Thailand and India, two countries the tech giant says have a shortage of eye specialists. Google Research teams partnered with foundational research partners Aravind Eye Hospital in India and Rajavithi Hospital in Thailand nearly a decade ago to research whether AI could be used to help reduce preventable blindness caused by diabetic retinopathy. Today, the company announced it is partnering with healthcare providers and health-tech partners across the countries to distribute the developed AI-enabled diabetic retinopathy model to improve access to eyesight-saving care. Google's newly announced partners include India-based medical equipment manufacturer Forus Health, nonprofit ophthalmic manufacturing company AuroLab and Thailand-based AI-enabled medical imaging technology company Perceptra. "We’ve also been working with the Thai Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Medical Services (DMS), which is responsible for the country’s diabetic retinopathy screening program, on implementation research and cost-effectiveness analysis. This collaboration is bringing our AI into Thailand’s National Innovation program and will pave the way for a partnership between Perceptra and DMS to apply the diabetic retinopathy AI model in public sector hospitals and help deliver impact at population scale," Google wrote in a blog post. The partners will work toward receiving local regulatory approvals to ensure clinical systems in both countries have access to the AI model, The organizations have also set a goal to deliver six million AI-enabled screenings to communities in need at no cost to patients over the next decade. THE LARGER TREND In a study published in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, researchers stated that the number of people with diabetic retinopathy globally will increase from 126.6 million in 2010 to 191 million by 2030, with vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy rising from 37.3 million to 56.3 million. In 2022, a study published out of Thailand in The Lancet revealed that deep learning algorithms could diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetes on par with community specialists. Researchers discovered that the deep-learning system could detect vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy with 94.7% accuracy, 91.4% sensitivity and 95.4% specificity. This was compared to the retina specialist over-readers, who performed with an accuracy of 93.5%, a sensitivity of 84.8% and a specificity of 95.5%. In 2019, Alphabet's life science subsidiary Verily unveiled real-world clinical use for its machine learning algorithm to screen for diabetes-related conditions, including diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema. The tool was first rolled out in India and aimed at helping with the shortage of doctors worldwide.

SEATTLE--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Kubota Vision Inc. (“Kubota Vision” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage specialty ophthalmology company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kubota Pharmaceutical Holdings Co., Ltd. (Tokyo 4596), today announced the execution of a collaboration letter of intent between Kubota Vision and AUROLAB (Madurai, India). The purpose of the agreement is for Kubota Vision to provide AUROLAB with an exclusive license for product development, manufacturing, and distribution of eyeMO (Patient Based Ophthalmology Suite), a portable, low-cost, home-based, remote and in-office ophthalmic OCT *1 device for monitoring of retinal diseases remotely or in an office setting. AUROLAB intends to commercialize eyeMO in its core markets of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, as well as select underserved markets in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. AUROLAB is engaged primarily in the manufacture of a wide range of high-quality ophthalmic consumables, such as intraocular lenses, surgical sutures, pharmaceutical products, surgical blades, and equipment. It is the manufacturing facility of Aravind Eye Care Hospital (AECS), which is one of the most prestigious eye hospitals worldwide, with 14 eye hospitals, 6 outpatient eye examination centers, and 108 initial eye care facilities in southern India. It performs more than 4.5 million surgeries and treatments annually, one of the highest numbers of annual surgeries in the world. It was founded by Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy in 1976 with the mission to eliminate needless blindness. AECS is known for its high-quality care and innovative business model, which allows it to provide free or low-cost treatment to those who cannot afford to pay. It offers a wide range of services, including eye exams, surgeries, and rehabilitation services. Ryo Kubota, MD, PhD, Chairman, President, and CEO of Kubota Vision Inc., stated, “We are excited to accelerate our goal of bringing eyeMO to people in need around the world by partnering with AUROLAB, part of the Aravind Hospital Group. Aravind Hospital Group is the world's largest eye hospital, performing 450,000 eye surgeries annually and distributing eye care equipment in over 160 countries worldwide. We believe that combining performance with cost-effectiveness is an important factor in promoting eyeMO in the global market. We will continue to develop and expand the applications of eyeMO to alert patients and their physicians of disease progression and re-treatment needs by facilitating at-home and in-office use in countries and regions where medical care is limited.” Mr. R.D. Sriram, Managing Director of AUROLAB, stated, “We are happy to align with Kubota Vision in making the portable OCT a much-needed device for low-resource settings, especially when patients’ access to eye clinics is challenging.” *1 Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive tool that uses light waves to take cross-section pictures of the retina. About eyeMO (Patient Based Ophthalmology Suite) eyeMO is a low-cost, home-based, ophthalmic self-monitoring OCT device. This small handheld device addresses needs in mobile Health (mHealth *2 ) applications for self-monitoring of retina health by patients in the home and in remote field locations. eyeMO aims to improve ophthalmic treatment outcomes in patients diagnosed with and treated for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), and other neovascular retinal diseases. eyeMO is being designed to detect nascent disease progression and support patient re-treatment prior to irreversible vision loss due to disease progression. Key features are low cost and a patient-friendly design to be used directly by patients at home. eyeMO is being designed to capture changes in retinal anatomy. Network connectivity and cloud-based technologies are used to alert the patients and their physicians of disease progression and re-treatment needs. *2 mHealth refers to the usage of mobile communications technology and devices to enhance access to healthcare information, improve distribution of routine and emergency health services, and provide diagnostic services. About Kubota Vision Inc. Kubota Vision Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kubota Pharmaceutical Holdings Co., Ltd. (Tokyo 4596), committed to translating innovation into a diverse portfolio of drugs and devices to preserve and restore vision for millions of people worldwide. Kubota Pharmaceutical group’s pipeline includes a wearable device for myopia control using Kubota Glass technology and a handheld OCT device for the monitoring of neovascular retinal diseases, to be used directly by patients. https://www.kubotavision.com/ ; https://www.kubotaholdings.co.jp/en/ Cautionary Statements: https://www.kubotaholdings.co.jp/en/1/index.html “Kubota Vision,” the Kubota Vision logo and “Kubota” are registered trademarks or trademarks of Kubota Vision Inc. or Kubota Pharmaceutical Holdings in various jurisdictions.

MUMBAI, India, July 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, HelpMeSee has announced a new partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) Initiative to train 100 new cataract specialists to help restore sight to India's cataract blind. Through this agreement, ASHA has provided funding to deploy two HelpMeSee eye surgery simulators to facilitate training at the HelpMeSee Mumbai Centre of Excellence for Simulation-Based Training. Continue Reading HelpMeSee and USAID: a partnership focused on restoring the gift of sight for people blind or visually impaired due to cataract. Currently, untreated cataract is the cause of 66 percent of all blindness in India, according to the National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey. India has approximately 20,000 ophthalmologists, equating to an average of eight for every million people, which is considerably lower in comparison with higher-income economies. This is compounded by the fact that ophthalmologists are not equally distributed throughout the nation. The cataract blind and visually impaired face significant challenges in finding well-trained specialists to treat them. "The National Medical Commission, India, and The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education share a common goal – to improve patient safety and surgical outcomes through competency-based education as a key component of Best Practices in Medicine," said Saro Jahani, president and CEO of HelpMeSee. "HelpMeSee's simulation-based training brings this innovation to life in India, through technology that allows trainees to practice surgical steps to perfection in a virtual environment with no risks to a live patient. We value our partnership with ASHA as we work together to help restore sight for people in India who are blind due to cataract. With their commitment, we're working to build sustainable solutions that can change lives and restore sight for people suffering from cataract. "For people with treatable cataract blindness, the humanitarian impact of this work cannot be overstated," Jahani said. "Untreated cataract disproportionately impacts the lives of women in rural India. Restoring sight restores their ability to engage in economic opportunities and relieves family members to work full time. The gift of restored sight is priceless. We are proud to be part of this effort to ensure access to care. HelpMeSee's simulator offers full procedural training in Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery, as well as complications management and suturing. We have recently launched training in Phacoemulsification. In near future, HelpMeSee will be able to offer training in anterior vitrectomy, pediatric cataract, and other surgical procedures for the eye." In India, HelpMeSee has established partnerships with LV Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad to train government hospital doctors and Aravind Eye Hospitals in Madurai, empowering local communities to restore sight. "HelpMeSee's virtual reality, simulation-based training delivers the authentic feeling of touch and visuals that are experienced in live surgery, and the ability to practice over and over, without the risk of mistakes that could permanently damage the sight of a patient," explained HelpMeSee Chief Medical Officer Dr. Van Lansingh. "The technology has applications for both the higher-income economies and the developing world as the next generation of cataract specialists is trained to deliver care for the rapidly aging world population. Seasoned surgeons who have had limited access to live surgery can use it to keep skills fresh." ABOUT HELPMESEE In a world where 100 million people are blind or visually impaired due to cataract, HelpMeSee works to eradicate cataract blindness using virtual reality and simulation-based training. The nonprofit was founded by Al and Jim Ueltschi, who saw the opportunity to end suffering by delivering innovation from the aviation industry to the fight against cataract blindness. As co-founder of Orbis International and founder of FlightSafety International, Al Ueltschi was an icon in the aviation industry, devoted to treating preventable blindness in the developing world. Today, his legacy lives on through HelpMeSee. The organization trains cataract specialists to ensure that all communities, especially those with severe economic hardship, have access to cataract treatment as a human right to sight. With more than 40 simulators and 11 training centers worldwide, HelpMeSee partners with governments, universities, and innovators to fight the global cataract blindness crisis. For more information, visit . ABOUT USAID USAID is the world's premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID works to help lift lives, build communities, and advance democracy. USAID's work advances U.S. national security and economic prosperity; demonstrates American generosity; and promotes a path to recipient self-reliance and resilience. For more information, visit . Media Contact: Kelley Denny 412-352-9240 [email protected] SOURCE HelpMeSee