Researchers aim to reduce cataract-induced blindness in underdeveloped regions with a little help from AI

A team of researchers from the University Hospital Bonn, Sankara Eye Foundation India, and Microsoft Research India have teamed up to improve cataract surgery results in the Global South. This collaborative research project is focused on the development of a deep learning algorithm that can perform AI-assisted analysis of surgical videos of cataract surgeries.

Cataracts affect around 70 million people worldwide and are the leading cause of blindness and severe visual impairment. “The burden of cataract is unevenly distributed worldwide, as blindness caused by cataract is about ten times more common in countries of the Global South than in high-income countries,” said Dr Maximilian Wintergerst from the Eye Clinic at the University Hospital Bonn.

The project is focused on developing a solution to a glaring problem in remote and underdeveloped regions. “The surgical results of cataract surgery in the Global South are often unsatisfactory due to a lack of adequate training. The surgical outcomes are poor in up to 30 to 50 percent of cases,” said Dr Wintergerst.

A study published on medrxiv.org in 2023 estimates an annual incidence of 3.8 million new cataracts in India. The research teams are developing an algorithm that can automatically analyse videos recorded by smartphones attached to surgical microscopes. “Low-cost smartphone-based video recording of cataract surgery could be a targeted solution to improve training and outcomes in countries of the Global South,” said Dr Frank Holz, Director of the UKB Eye Clinic.

This project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation, aims to bridge the gap in the quality of healthcare between high-income countries and those in the Global South. Improved technological solutions, such as AI-assisted video analysis, can play a crucial role in enhancing the efficacy of cataract surgeries and combating the high incidence of blindness in these regions, the researchers said.