Microsoft India has collaborated with L V Prasad Eye Institute to launch Microsoft Intelligent Network for Eyecare (MINE), a global consortium of like-minded commercial, research, and academic institutions to apply artificial intelligence to help in the elimination of avoidable blindness and scale delivery of eyecare services worldwide.
Established in 1987 at Hyderabad, the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) is a not-for-profit, non-government, public-spirited, comprehensive eye care institution. Other partners of the consortium include Bascom Palmer – University of Miami, Flaum Eye Institute – University of Rochester, Federal University of Sao Paulo, and Brien Holden Vision Institute (Australia).
The partner organizations will 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. 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 personalize a surgery and maximize its probability of success.
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.
By using our capabilities and pioneering work in the field of machine learning over the years, Microsoft has helped accelerate digital transformation in various key sectors in India, including agriculture and education. Today, I am happy to take forward the work we have done in healthcare with an esteemed set of partners. MINE, a global collaboration, reinforces Microsoft’s belief in the combined power of data, cloud and advanced analytics to drive public good. In our shared vision to eradicate preventive blindness, MINE will help redefine eyecare by bringing together the power of technology and knowledge of global experts.
– Anil Bhansali, Managing Director, Microsoft India (R&D) Pvt. Ltd.
Machine Learning is one of Microsoft’s key focus areas and the company is making significant inroads in research and development and translating the outcome into real customer impact. Currently 285 million people are visually impaired, of which 55 million reside in India. As the technology driver of the initative, Microsoft will deploy the Cortana Intelligence Suite for advanced analytics and to build Artificial Intelligence models on eyecare.
