Microsoft Intelligent Network for Eyecare launched

Microsoft India, in collaboration with L V Prasad Eye Institute, has launched Microsoft Intelligent Network for Eyecare (MINE). "This is a mission-driven global consortium of like-minded commercial, research and academic institutions who have joined hands to apply artificial intelligence to help in the elimination of avoidable blindness and scale delivery of eyecare services worldwide," a joint statement said.

The partner organisations of this consortium include Bascom Palmer - University of Miami, Flaum Eye Institute - University of Rochester (USA), Federal University of Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Brien Holden Vision Institute (Australia). They would collaborate and collectively work on diverse datasets of patients across geographies to come up with machine learning predictive models for vision impairment and eye disease, the statement said.

"This will include the rate of change of myopia in children, conditions that impact children's eyesight, predictive outcomes of refractive surgery, optimal surgery parameters as well as ways to personalise a surgery and maximise its probability of success," it said.

"By studying this data and applying advanced analytics with Microsoft machine learning technology to derive insights, MINE will aim to drive strategies to prevent avoidable blindness and help increase efficiency in the delivery of eyecare worldwide," it said.

Currently, 285 million people are visually impaired, of whom 55 million reside in India. Microsoft would deploy its loud platform technology - Cortana Intelligence Suite, for advanced analytics and to build Artificial Intelligence models on eyecare.

"We are confident that this partnership will not only open doors to opportunities in the field of eyecare, but also pave way for others to leverage technology to address several other critical eye diseases," L V Prasad Eye Institute's Founder-Chair Dr G N Rao said.