MUMBAI: At the Shantilal Shanghvi Eye Institute in Mumbai, an eye scan using a smartphone could help save a patient's sight.

The hospital has incorporated artificial intelligence into its community outreach programme to identify patients from nearby slums who need specialist eye care.

Within seconds, an image of a patient's retina is analysed and the technology detects possible early signs of conditions such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

It is one example of how India is using AI to improve access to healthcare, particularly in places where specialists are harder to reach.

LESS SPECIALIST TRAINING REQUIRED

The AI eye screening tool, developed by Bengaluru-based medical device company Remidio, enables healthcare workers with less specialist training to carry out the initial assessment.

"The game-changer in terms of AI is we have been able to task shift the screening process to less-trained people, who can use the AI to triage people who require the ophthalmologist's opinion," said Shantilal Shanghvi Eye Institute’s head of public health Radhika Krishnan.

"That way, we are able to reach a much larger population who could be triaged regularly and referred for treatment or further evaluation."