# Smartphone-based community screening for eye disease in rural India

> **NIH NIH R33** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $306,425

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This is an application for an R21/R33 award titled “Smartphone-based community screening of anterior eye
diseases in rural India.” The investigators from Johns Hopkins University and Aravind Eye Hospital have diverse
expertise in ophthalmology, biomedical engineering, machine learning, epidemiology, biostatistics, and use of
mobile health technology in low-resource settings. 90% of the world’s 275 million blind and visually impaired
people live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Cataract, refractive error, corneal opacities, and other
anterior eye diseases account for the majority of global blindness. In rural LMIC settings, lack of access to highly
trained eye care providers such as ophthalmologists is a key barrier to timely diagnosis and treatment for anterior
eye diseases. Periodic “eye camp” screenings performed by highly trained ophthalmologists have been the
mainstay of rural eye disease screening for many decades but have several limitations including lack of access
to trained ophthalmologists, failure to reach the most remote communities, lack of consistent calendar coverage
beyond eye camp dates, and high costs due to equipment, personnel, and community publicity. We propose
development, validation, and implementation of a novel smartphone based device for community health worker
(CHW)-led screening, diagnosis, and referral for eye diseases in rural LMIC settings. We will develop this
smartphone platform using iterative prototyping and user-centered design approaches. After demonstrating
feasibility, we will evaluate the diagnostic validity of CHW-led screenings using the smartphone platform
compared to traditional in-person eye camp exams by an ophthalmologist. After collecting sufficient data and
images using the platform, we will design, validate, and implement machine learning algorithms to permit real-
time diagnosis and referral decisions by CHWs without dependence on ophthalmologists. This project will
perform detailed data collection regarding referral patterns, loss to follow-up, cost-effectiveness, and differential
outcomes among vulnerable groups in order to enable more targeted health interventions. This project is
intended to overcome key longstanding geographic, financial, operational, and human resource constraints to
eye screening while ensuring diagnostic validity, quality control, and interoperability with existing health system
infrastructure. Our scalable approach has potential to transform global eye care delivery in low-resource settings.
This collaboration will also result in permanent improvements in mobile health and research capacity at Aravind
Eye Hospital.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11138331
- **Project number:** 4R33EY034343-03
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kunal Sailesh Parikh
- **Activity code:** R33 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $306,425
- **Award type:** 4N
- **Project period:** 2022-09-30 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11138331

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11138331, Smartphone-based community screening for eye disease in rural India (4R33EY034343-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11138331. Licensed CC0.

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