

We use Cybersight before and during our Flying Eye Hospital programs.
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Over time, the doctor will learn how to diagnose the condition on their own. For example, the AI will highlight where the signs of glaucoma are located in the picture and how advanced the case is. The AI acts as a mentor because it shows the doctor how to recognize the patterns that are attributed to the disease it found. The doctor on the ground at their clinic can take action to treat the patient sitting in front of them before they even speak to the expert. The AI can give an immediate result when the patient’s data is submitted, and the image is uploaded. Now, when a doctor logs on to Cybersight and requests a consult with a world-class expert, they can enable AI to help detect certain diseases by simply submitting a picture of a patient’s retina.

This method has proven to be successful not only in improving patient care but also in mentoring the next generation of eye care professionals. Cybersight also connects healthcare workers in their home country with recognized experts from around the world to consult about specific patient cases, participate in live lectures, watch live surgeries, and take virtual courses in eye health. The platform’s AI tool is only one of its features. Orbis’s robust telemedicine program, Cybersight, has been important in educating eye care professionals for over 20 years. Talk about how Orbis uses AI in its award-winning Cybersight program to expedite teaching, common diagnosis, and in-person training via its Flying Eye Hospital program. We see huge potential – when AI is properly supervised and studied – to help educate at all levels of eye care, from the patient to the surgeon. At Orbis, we have trademarked the term “machine mentoring.” Instead of just learning from a machine, we use machines and AI to mentor doctors, nurses, technicians, and patients. Yes, AI-assisted searches, AI-assisted education, and AI-assisted diagnosis are all valuable tools for a student.

Does AI provide students with a convenient and accessible way to access information and practice clinical skills? It is a way, say, for a healthcare worker in a rural clinic, often the only eye health provider for hundreds of miles, to diagnose and treat more efficiently the patients who need their help the most. AI can better educate patients and health care providers, especially technicians in rural clinics.ĪI is a tool in the doctor’s tool belt. In eye health, we also see AI acting as an awareness and education tool. This means patients can get treatment immediately or be referred to a specialist at the same appointment without undertaking more costly and sometimes arduous travel or taking time away from home and work obligations. Orbis has shown in places like Rwanda, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, where eye care clinics are few and far between, that AI can detect signs of serious eye conditions like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular disease within seconds. Regarding global eye care and avoidable vision loss, AI can bridge the physical distance required for diagnosing eye diseases. AI has huge potential to diagnose and treat patients in areas where that was previously impossible. There are more ways of reaching patients and offering them services than ever. For example, 98% of adults in Kenya have a cell phone. More people in the world have access to the internet than clean water. Photo by Geoff Oliver Bugbee How can AI be used to improve health on a global scale? Hunter Cherwek is the vice president of clinical services and technologies, Orbis International.
