There used to be a time when we didn’t have the desired technology to diagnose diseases, let alone treat them. Millions of people across the world suffer from serious ailments or even succumb due to late or no diagnosis. One such problem is that of diabetic retinopathy that damages the retinal blood vessels. It forms the primary reason behind a form of blindness that can easily be prevented with timely treatment. But sadly, statistics suggest that more than 50% of such cases go unnoticed. As a result, hundreds and thousands of people lose their vision every year. There are more than 400 million diabetic patients worldwide and almost one-third of them are exposed to diabetic retinopathy.

However, with the advent of technology, the problem of late diagnosis is being addressed. New and new methods and strategies are being devised to ensure that people get timely medical aid. Kavya Kopparape, a junior high-school student & a mastermind in computer science seems to have discovered the solution to diabetic retinopathy. Kopparape, her brother who is just fifteen and her entire team have developed a device named ‘eyeagnois’.

About Eyeagnois

The inspiration or cause behind Kavya’s discovery is her grandfather located in India. He too suffers from diabetic retinopathy. However, before he could get the right treatment, he had already lost his vision due to late diagnosis. Eyeagnois has been devised to discover this ailment at the earliest possible stage. The diagnostic process that this device uses is a two-hour long exam. The exam is facilitated by a high-quality retinal imager that costs more than a thousand dollars. The two components of this process are a 3D printed lens and a mobile app. The eyeagnois process makes use of photos of eyes to diagnose diabetic retinopathy. An AI system is put to use which screens these photos using the 3D lens and app.

The scope and the percentage of population affected by this problem is quite large. Eyeagnois seems to be a plausible solution to this problem which can aid in its speedy diagnosis and recovery. The same seems to have validated recently at the ‘O Reilly AI Conference. Mr. J.F. Hejtmancik, a renowned name in visual diseases opines that eyeagnois can revolutionize the screening process. Also, it can substantially raise the access to population.

Challenges Ahead

The main aim of this technology is to step into the medical field fully. However, Kavya and her team must prove that their results are reliable and valid. They must use quantifiable data to prove this.

If eyeagnois can overcome these problems, it surely has a bright and successful future ahead.

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