Apple iPhones used to diagnose eye diseases in infants, by Karnataka doctors

A team of doctors in the Indian state of Karnataka has found a way to diagnose and treat retinopathy of prematurity, or RoP, using Apple iPhones. ROP is a potentially blinding condition, which can afflict premature babies. Around 7-8% of the 27 million live births in India are premature and 15-20% are susceptible to ROP and can go blind if not diagnosed and treated on time.

Using Apple iPhones, doctors can receive live data on their patients’ medical condition and diagnose it. The subsequent report can then be sent to the patient, wherever the patient may be.

Anand Vinekar, project coordinator and pediatric retinal surgeon at the Narayana Nethralaya Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology in Bangalore said that the retinal images, which are collected from patients, are sent to the doctors’ iPhones from where the doctors can diagnose and send their recommendations to the
patients.

This is the first time in India that Apple iPhones are marking their place in healthcare applications.

According to the new system, the doctor does not have to go to the villages for diagnosis every time a premature infant is born. The retinal images of the patients taken using a camera are uploaded to a server from where the doctors can access the photo and make the necessary diagnosis.

Narayana Nethralaya Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology in Bangalore has announced a telemedicine programme, which will screen available rural and semi-urban kids born in Karnataka for ROP.

In addition to Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), the hospital also plans to use the method for other diseases such as ocular cancers. The speedy access of retinal images posed some challenges to the doctors and that’s when the hospital developed a software suite for the same in collaboration with i2i Telesolutions.

The hospital says the project will mark its way in the entire Karnataka in the next three years and the hospital is also subsequently planning to spread the project to other parts of the country soon.

“The Central government has shown keen interest in taking it to other parts of the country,” Vinekar, said, as it is already supporting the programme under the National Rural Health Mission.

i2i Telesolutions says the company has made its software compliant under US FDA standards and hence the software can be used anywhere in the world.

The Apple iPhone has been selected for the project because of its graphics capability and screen resolution.