The Silicon Review ^Asia

Search Engine behemoth, Google, aims to solve a big medical problem in India. The company has partnered with various doctors across the country to treat diabetic retinopathy with the help of an AI-based tool. It was reported by India Today on Thursday.

“In 2016, we published a paper in the Journal of American Medical Association showing that this AI system was performing the level of the Generalists Since then we have made improvements to the algorithm, and now it is on par with the specialists,” said Lily Peng, Google’s product manager at an official event.

The AI-based model which has been built by the company possesses the capability to identify diabetic retinopathy among patients. The tool analyses the retina with the help of special cameras. Following which, the scanned image is assessed by Google’s ML-based algorithm. The tool encompasses a five-point scale ranging between no diabetic retinopathy, which can be controlled with strict medications and diet, to most severe condition, which may lead to surgery.

The company has already carried out testing the tool in two South-East Asian nations—India and Thailand. In India, the company joined hands with South India’s two prominent eye hospitals, Sankara Eye Hospital and Aravind Eye Hospital.