Remidio, a global pioneer in AI-powered ophthalmic solutions, has made a strategic investment in Occuity, a UK-based producer of handheld optical screening devices. This investment demonstrates Remidio's dedication to revolutionising disease identification and management with AI-enabled ophthalmic technology.

One of the primary goals of this collaboration is to address India's rising myopia epidemic. By 2050, over 48% of urban youngsters in India are anticipated to have myopia, with 20% suffering rapid advancement and about 4% experiencing serious problems that could result in permanent vision loss.

The team will launch India's first handheld, non-invasive axial length measurement instrument for myopia detection. This invention hopes to reduce the need for sophisticated and expensive eye exams, making early detection more accessible, especially to children. Given India's small number of primary eye care practitioners (fewer than 20,000), the device has the potential to drastically reduce the gap in eye care accessibility, particularly in rural areas.

With Remidio's broad distribution network and capacity to deploy AI-powered diagnostics on a large scale, this collaboration is well-positioned to enable widespread, early identification of myopia, ultimately improving eye health outcomes for millions of children in India.

Aside from myopia, the cooperation will create a handheld, non-contact instrument for properly detecting corneal thickness, which is an important metric for glaucoma care and LASIK suitability assessments. This innovation is projected to improve Remidio's existing diagnostic range, including its popular Comprehensive Eye Clinic in a Bag, thereby increasing access to sophisticated ocular screening in resource-constrained situations.

The collaboration goes beyond ophthalmology and focuses on pioneering non-invasive diabetes screening. The Indigo, Occuity's optical glucose meter, is designed to measure glucose levels using an eye scan, removing the need for finger-prick examinations. Given that over 100 million Indians have diabetes and another 136 million are pre-diabetic, there is a significant demand for painless, early screening techniques.

This solution addresses India's critical need for scalable, community-based diabetes screening programs. The combination of Occuity's solutions with Remidio's AI-powered platforms is expected to accelerate acceptance and deployment, providing a more patient-friendly approach to diabetes monitoring and cementing Remidio's leadership in AI-driven ocular diagnostics.

"We believe that non-invasive diagnostics are the future of healthcare, particularly for large-scale public health challenges like diabetes and myopia," said Dr Anand Sivaraman, Remidio CEO. "Occuity's technology aligns perfectly with our mission to democratise high-quality screening and management, making preventive healthcare more accessible than ever before."

Dr Dan Daly, CEO and Co-Founder of Occuity, had similar sentiments: "Remidio's profound expertise in the design, development, and manufacture of AI-integrated ophthalmic devices, together with their strong market presence in India and beyond, makes them a perfect partner. Their support demonstrates our shared ambition of revolutionising early disease detection and improving patient outcomes globally."

Remidio's investment in Occuity is a significant step towards broadening the scope of non-invasive diagnostics in India and around the world. The development of AI-powered mobile devices for myopia and diabetes screening has the potential to close crucial gaps in early illness identification, particularly in impoverished regions. While the technology promises to improve accessibility and accuracy, its long-term success is dependent on widespread adoption by healthcare professionals and incorporation into existing public health systems. The challenge is to ensure long-term affordability and sustainability. If these challenges are successfully overcome, this collaboration has the potential to revolutionise preventative healthcare.