Looking beyond legacy tech

As demand grows, Zeiss hopes to lead efforts to make quality eye care more accessible

- SUDHIR CHOWDHARY

INDIA FACES AN eye health crisis that spans all age groups. It is estimated that 12 million people in the country are blind, and an additional 50 million suffer from visual impairment. The situation is compounded by the fact that India is home to 80 million diabetic patients, but shockingly, 50% don't even know they are diabetic. Within this group, 80% are at risk of diabetic eye disease, yet few undergo timely screening—making this a silent epidemic of blindness in the making. The prevalence of cataract, responsible for 66.2% of blindness cases, and the silent rise of glaucoma (affecting 12 million Indians), underscores the urgent need for awareness and early intervention.

Thankfully, the integration of technologies like AI and robotics in ophthalmology is transforming eye care in the country. Take Zeiss, which holds a dominant position in the Indian ophthalmology and microsurgery market. The German company, which specializes in optics and optoelectronics, is helping eye specialists with new-age AI-enabled medical technologies and tools to flag anomalies quickly.