Google Partners with India and Thailand to License AI Model for Diabetic Retinopathy Detection

Google has announced a licensing agreement to provide its AI model for detecting diabetic retinopathy to partners in Thailand and India, addressing the shortage of eye care specialists in those countries.

Almost ten years ago, Google Research began collaborating with Aravind Eye Hospital in India and Rajavithi Hospital in Thailand to investigate how AI could help prevent blindness caused by diabetic retinopathy.

The company is now working with healthcare providers and tech partners to distribute this AI-driven model, improving access to sight-saving treatments. New partners include Indian medical equipment manufacturer Forus Health, nonprofit AuroLab, and Thailand's AI imaging firm Perceptra.

Google is also collaborating with Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Medical Services (DMS) to implement the AI model in the country’s diabetic retinopathy screening program, integrating it into Thailand’s National Innovation program for broader use in public hospitals.

These partners plan to secure local regulatory approvals to enable clinical systems in both nations to utilize the AI model, with a goal of delivering six million AI-enabled screenings at no cost to patients over the next ten years.

According to a study in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, the number of people with diabetic retinopathy worldwide is expected to grow from 126.6 million in 2010 to 191 million by 2030, with severe cases increasing from 37.3 million to 56.3 million.

A separate study published in The Lancet in 2022 showed that deep learning algorithms could detect diabetic retinopathy with 94.7% accuracy, matching the performance of community specialists. The AI system had a sensitivity of 91.4% and specificity of 95.4%, while specialists achieved 93.5% accuracy, 84.8% sensitivity, and 95.5% specificity.

In 2019, Verily, a life sciences subsidiary of Alphabet, launched a machine learning tool to screen for diabetes-related issues, including diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema, initially rolled out in India to help address the global shortage of medical professionals.

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