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Teen's AI Sees for the Visually Impaired
24 Jul
Summary
- AI platform screens for seven eye diseases via smartphone photos.
- Siddhartha organized eight eye camps, examining 4,000 people.
- Fundraised to provide free spectacles, drops, and treatment guidance.
A Class XII student, Siddhartha Manaktala, has developed an innovative AI-powered smartphone application named EyeSpy. This platform can screen individuals for seven different eye diseases using just a photograph taken with a mobile phone. Manaktala's mission is to ensure that economic hardship does not lead to preventable vision loss.
Educating himself in coding and machine learning through online resources, Manaktala overcame initial challenges with his first model. He collaborated with the L V Prasad Eye Institute to refine the EyeSpy platform. His efforts have led to the organization of eight eye screening camps across Haryana.
These camps have examined approximately 4,000 individuals, revealing that nearly all participants had never undergone an eye examination. A significant number, about one in six, were found to have undiagnosed eye conditions. Manaktala also initiated fundraising to provide customized spectacles, prescribed eye drops, and treatment guidance to beneficiaries.
Manaktala aims to screen at least 10,000 people. His overarching goal is to prevent children from missing education, workers from losing livelihoods, and families from suffering due to vision impairment.
