Automated retinal scans for early detection of diabetic eye diseases through use of artificial intelligence

ended

Oivi’s mission is to provide affordable eye care for all. Our vision is to eliminate unnecessary blindness by providing a lowcost camera for retinal (fundus) photography, with fully automated image capture and diagnostics. Our goal is for Oivi to become the point-of-care device for preventative eye screening, with diabetic retinopathy (DR) as our first area of focus. DR affects >160 million people worldwide and is the most common cause of blindness among people with diabetes. However, early detection and intervention can successfully prevent vision-loss from DR in 95% of the cases. A major financial and social burden is caused by DR, and these costs can be vastly reduced through a solution like Oivi. Current solutions for DR screening are often expensive and require extensive training, limiting accessibility for patients, especially in developing countries. Oivi’s device is a unique combination of automated, easy-to-use, low-cost and integrated AI diagnostics solutions in a highly portable design. These features will allow healthcare professionals and pharmacists to carry out screening anywhere with no training and address the unmet need for early screening in primary care. Oivi will be particularly relevant for low- and middle-income countries like India, but also for the European market. Oivi envisions to move the standard of care of diagnosis of DR from the ophthalmologists office to primary care level. This leads to a smooth patient flow between primary care and specialists and reduces patient fall out. Also, pharmacies provide excellent coverage and can make DR screening as common as blood glucose tests. Oivi will use the iScan project as a vital step to prepare the company’s business strategy and mature the device and its diagnostic functionalities and to align it with end-user needs, regulatory standards and IP strategy. The iScan project is expected to untap a large business opportunity for Oivi, in the first application – DR screening and diagnosis.