If we go by what Samsung is doing with old Galaxy smartphones, then eye care is going to benefit better than before. As per the Galaxy Upcycling program, the South Korean giant is repurposing old Galaxy smartphone devices to be used as ophthalmic equipment for undermining eye diseases. The initiative for the upcycling program was revealed in 2017 in South Korea, and over time Samsung has plans to expand to other regions including India, Vietnam, Papua, New Guinea and Morocco.
Making judicious use of the phone’s native hardware, the EYELIKE fundus camera employs an intelligent algorithm for the purpose. The phone connects to a lens attachment to make the diagnosis possible, just like a professional fundus camera that medical practitioners use.
In conjunction with the specially developed app, the system as a whole is able to detect any ophthalmic diseases. The patient’s vital diagnostic data is collected and suggested treatment is prescribed – at the fraction of a cost as compared to commercial instruments.
The intelligent system developed in conjunction with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and Yonsei University Health System (YUHS) in Korea, is capable of detecting eye conditions like partial blindness at early stages, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, or age-related macular degeneration. The software for the camera system came from Samsung R&D Institute India-Bangalore (SRI-B).
Samsung’s intuitive solution solves the problem of digital junk and cost-effective eye treatment in developing nations. After its success in Vietnam since 2018, when it was first tested with 19,000 Vietnamese residents, it’s now all set to expand in India, Morocco, and Papua New Guinea.
According to Samsung in 2019, they provided 90 portable ophthalmoscopes to health professionals in the remote regions of Vietnam. The next idea is to create portable colposcopes from Galaxy smartphones to detect cervical cancer and diagnose women’s health.
All these efforts are a part of the broader 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which also includes the Galaxy Upcycling at Home initiative by Samsung to utilize old phones as connected devices.
