Need:
More than 50 million people in India are at risk of developing sight threatening eye diseases, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. Blindness due to these lifestyle related diseases is preventable, if detected early through regular eye check-up. But, with an ophthalmologist per population ratio of around 1:100,000 there is an acute shortfall of expert capacity in the country. There is a need for large scale screening to tackle the dual challenge of huge population and limited availability of experts.
Innovation:
HTIC has developed Eye-PAC™, a computing technology for extracting clinically relevant information from eye images. Eye-PAC™ technology consists of image computing and analytics built upon advanced mathematical and computational techniques. The processing, computing, and analytics modules of Eye-PAC™ can be used to develop a range of applications such as disease screening systems, computational platforms for ophthalmic devices, and look for clinical research and analytics.
Impact:
HTIC partnered with Forus Health, a young Indian med-tech company, to develop image computing solution based on Eye-PAC™ technology for their indigenous multifunctional ophthalmic pre-screening device, 3nethra.
The computational intelligence capabilities of Eye-PAC™ have helped 3nethra reach more than 150 locations in 28 different countries. 2.5 million Screenings have been performed with 2600 devices in different parts of the globe. Eye-PAC™ technology empowers healthcare professionals such as technicians and optometrists to perform eye screening at places where a qualified ophthalmologist might not be available. Through customised solutions like 3nethra, Eye-PAC™ platform technology will continue to reach hundreds of thousands of eyes every year.