Orbis International, NIDEK teaming up to scale up artificial intelligence eye sceenings in Vietnam

(Image Credit: AdobeStock/ABSTRACT_STUDIO)

The donation of 6 specialized fundus cameras, which take images of the retina (back of the eye), will support the scale-up of Orbis’ AI-based diabetic retinopathy screening program in Vietnam.¹ These cameras are expected to support the screening of 72,000 patients with diabetes over the next 3 years.

The company noted in a news release the addition of the NIDEK cameras to Orbis’s program will expand its presence to 6 high-volume screening health facilities in 3 provinces across Vietnam – including Giao Thuy District Health Center and Nam Dinh General Hospital in Nam Dinh province, Nghe An Endocrinology Hospital and Tay Bac Regional Hospital in Nghe An province and Can Tho General Hospital and Can Tho Heart Hospital in Can Tho city – improving capacity to detect and promptly treat diabetic retinopathy, a potentially blinding disease that every person with diabetes is at risk of developing.

The company noted the images from the desktop fundus cameras can be uploaded to and graded by Cybersight AI, Orbis’s state-of-the-art technology, determining within seconds if diabetic retinopathy is detected. The patient can then be referred immediately for treatment without needing to wait days or even weeks for screening results that depend upon human grading of the images.

Ngoc Pham, country director, Orbis Vietnam, lauded the partnership.

“According to the Vietnam National Endocrinology Hospital, in the past 20 years, the prevalence of diabetes in the country has increased from 2.7% of the population to 7.3% of the population, and this trend continues to grow,” Pham said in the news release. “There are not enough trained medical professionals to meet the demand for eye screening for people living with diabetes. Cybersight AI and high-quality cameras will help ease the burden on medical facilities already at capacity by detecting diabetic retinopathy.”

Motoki Ozawa, president and CEO of NIDEK CO., LTD., said the company is excited and confident that our partnership with Orbis and technological collaboration with their Cybersight AI, will certainly improve the diabetic retinopathy screening situation in Vietnam.

“Our purpose is to provide the joy of vision and health care through our technology and deliver unwavering commitment to people all over the world,” Ozawa said in the news release. “We are committed to deliver joy of vision to people in Vietnam by supporting early detection and immediate referrals.”

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease that affects approximately one in three people living with diabetes. If left untreated, it can lead to vision loss and blindness. Most people living with diabetes reside in low- and middle-income countries, like Vietnam. Vietnam has approximately 7 million people with diabetes, and diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of blindness and vision loss in the country.¹

Reference

1. NIDEK and Orbis International Join Forces to Scale Up Artificial Intelligence Eye Screenings in Vietnam | News | NIDEK CO.,LTD. www.nidek-intl.com. Accessed January 16, 2024. https://www.nidek-intl.com/news-event/news/entry-5037.html/