Samsung EYELIKE Fundus Camera uses old Galaxy smartphones to eye diseases – Times of India

This World Sight Day, Samsung’s Galaxy Upcycling program has set a target of screening 150,000 individuals in India for eye diseases using the unique EYELIKE Fundus Camera by the end of 2023. As part of its Galaxy Upcycling programme, Samsung has repurposed older Galaxy smartphones into eye care devices that help screen patients in rural India for eye diseases that could potentially lead to blindness.
What is EYELIKE Fundus Camera
The EYELIKE Fundus Camera is a portable handheld that helps to screen patients’ retinas for conditions that may lead to blindness, including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. Samsung has partnered with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), Yonsei University Health System (YUHS) and Lab SD Inc to transform old and unused Galaxy technology into these medical diagnosis cameras. An older Galaxy smartphone becomes the brain of the EYELIKE handheld Fundus camera, capturing images while connected to a lens attachment for diagnosis. The EYELIKE platform scans retinal images and uses AI-based algorithm to detect diseases in the retinal images and classify them as normal or abnormal. The device connects to an app that captures patient data and suggests a treatment regimen at a fraction of the cost of commercial instruments.

Contribution of Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore
Engineers at the Samsung R&D Institute Bangalore, which is the company’s largest R&D centre outside Korea, have developed the Fundus image capture mechanism, the AI-based processing algorithm, the intuitive UI and server-related operations in the EYELIKE application that resides on the Galaxy smartphone.
“At Samsung, we believe in harnessing technology to make a positive impact on society. Programs such as Galaxy Upcycling have helped us in transforming lives through the power of innovation. With the EYELIKE Fundus Camera, our partners have been able to provide quality eye screening to patients across India,” says Mohan Rao Goli, CTO, Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore.
“We are also proud that engineers at Samsung R&D Institute, Bangalore have worked on the EYELIKE platform alongside IAPB, YUHS and LabSD who have developed the lens attachment,” he added.
Samsung has partnered with four eye hospitals in India for this. These are Sitapur Eye Hospital in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, Aravind Eye Hospital in Pondicherry, Guruhasti Chikitsalya in Jodhpur, Rajasthan and Dr Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital in New Delhi to set up eye care camps and use EYELIKE in vision centers, vans and base hospitals across the country. So far, Samsung has upcycled nearly 200 units of second hand Galaxy smartphones and distributed EYELIKE Fundus Cameras to partners in India.