From Vision to Innovation: How Remidio is Redefining Eye Care with AI
In early September 2010, during a train journey from Kochi to Bangalore, I chanced to meet Dr. Anand Vinekar, a pediatric ophthalmologist from Narayana Nethralaya, Bangalore. He expressed his frustration over the lack of affordable imaging devices in India to prevent needless blindness. This conversation was the spark that ignited Remidio. Inspired to act, we entered the field of ophthalmic screening and diagnostics with a singular goal: to make advanced eye care accessible and impactful.
Our first breakthrough was the world’s first smartphone-based retinal imaging device that needed no dilation, offering functionality at one-fifth the cost of existing solutions.
This product, designed to detect retinal diseases like diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and AMD, we achieved the same image quality and clinical outcomes as high-end devices, as evidenced through more than 50 peer reviewed independent clinical publications in India, UK and the US. It embodied our ethos: “Make it simple” ,”Be the world’s first” , and focus on strong “clinical research to validate our products”.
Scaling AI for Eye Care: The Medios HI Advantage
In 2019, we launched the world’s first offline AI algorithms, the Remidio Medios DR AI, a groundbreaking solution that detects referable diabetic retinopathy (DR) without requiring Internet access. By 2022, we added Glaucoma Screening and in 2023 we added AMD screening, using the Medios hi 3-in-1 AI. By leveraging portability and advanced AI, this solution has brought essential eye care to some of India’s most remote regions—from the hilltops of Himachal Pradesh to rural West Bengal. Nearly 7M have been screened globally with these solutions.
In 2022, the solution achieved global recognition with CE marking under EU-MDR guidelines and HSA approval in Singapore, followed by CDSCO approval for the first Ophthalmic AI in India in 2024. These milestones reflect not only robust regulatory compliance but also our commitment to delivering future-ready, accessible technology. The AI’s offline nature eliminates the need for expensive GPU-based cloud servers, significantly reducing digital infrastructure costs while enabling equitable healthcare delivery.
Clinical Validation and Partnerships
At Remidio, we recognize that validation goes beyond controlled studies—AI must prove its effectiveness in real-world healthcare settings. Between 2017 and 2024, our AI solutions underwent rigorous prospective clinical trials in partnership with leading institutions such as Aravind Eye Care System, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialties Clinic, and the Government of Kerala. These trials were conducted across care environments, ensuring that our AI models are robust, generalizable, and clinically reliable.
Our AI has also been tested for variability in patient demographics, imaging conditions, and clinical settings that could challenge its performance. To address this, Remidio has focused on multi-site evaluations spanning different geographies, including Poland, Armenia, the Yucatán Peninsula, Africa, and the UK. Published in high-impact journals like JAMA Ophthalmology, Nature Eye, and the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, these studies reinforce the AI’s reliability across a spectrum of healthcare environments.
1. This journey, spread over 15 years of taking world’s first ideas to market , including novel AI algorithms, have showed us the significant impact that cutting edge technology like AI algorithms and point of care devices can have in Public Health, in India as well as the Global South. We believe India has the opportunity to take a leadership role in impacting public health at scale, using AI in triaging and screening programs in population health. For this to happen, we will need as a country to focus on 4 essentials. A National Digital Health Data Registry: A government-led registry with a robust governance framework is critical to securely unify health data and drive AI-driven innovation in public health.
2. Clinician-Led AI Development:
Startups must prioritize clinician involvement during AI development. Identifying real-world problems and validating solutions through prospective trials is more critical than the development of the technology itself.
3. Comprehensive Care Pathways:
Successful implementation of AI in public health requires an end-to-end focus, integrating AI at every step of the patient journey, from screening to treatment, rather than limiting it to isolated points of care, such as just disease detection. Regulatory Framework for SaMDs:
India needs a de novo regulatory pathway for Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) that is built on a framework that allows for benchmarking safety and clinical performance, against standard of care, as determined by clinicians and public health professionals.
This is essential for accelerating breakthrough technologies, to be brought to market after careful prospective, clinical validation studiesBringing Change to Public Health.
Through partnerships with government programs like Kerala’s Nayanamritham project and initiatives with the NHS in the UK, Remidio has demonstrated how AI-powered technology can scale effectively in public health. For example, the use of Remidio’s ophthalmic AI solutions has reduced per-patient screening costs from INR 400 to INR 180.
As we aim to screen one million individuals annually by March 2025, our vision extends beyond diagnostics. Remidio’s focus on GDPR, HIPAA, cybersecurity, and ISMS standards ensures compliance while making AI solutions accessible to underserved populations.
A Call for Collaborative Action
The road to equitable healthcare is paved with collaboration. With strategic government support, a robust regulatory framework, and clinician-driven AI solutions, we can revolutionize access to preventive healthcare in India and beyond.
Remidio’s journey exemplifies how purpose driven innovation can bridge the gap between technology and public health. By empowering practitioners and bringing care to the underserved, we aim to redefine the future of healthcare—one vision at a time.
By Dr. Anand Sivaraman, Founder and CEO, Remidio Innovative Solutions