Health

Using Technology to Facilitate Access to Healthcare

Reimagining Eye Care in India Through Smartphone-Based Cataract Screening

At Aura, we believe that the greatest innovations often emerge when technology is combined with empathy and purpose. One of our most impactful collaborations in India involved developing a breakthrough solution to combat cataract-induced blindness — the leading cause of preventable visual impairment globally.

 

The Challenge: A Widespread but Treatable Condition

Cataracts are the primary cause of treatable blindness worldwide, especially among individuals over the age of 50. In India alone, an estimated 4.8 million people become blind due to cataracts each year, primarily because of late detection and limited access to screening facilities. While cataract surgery is both common and effective, the real challenge lies in early diagnosis, particularly in remote or underserved areas. Unfortunately, India faces a significant shortage of cataract screening centers and trained ophthalmologists. Many elderly individuals lack the mobility, support, or financial resources required to travel to testing sites. This leads to missed opportunities for timely treatment — with devastating consequences for vision and overall quality of life.

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The Solution: Smartphone-Based AI Screening

To address this urgent problem, a dedicated team from Aura India, in partnership with a client, developed a smartphone-based cataract detection solution powered by artificial intelligence. By simply capturing an image of an eye using a phone camera, the app can accurately detect signs of cataracts. When a cataract is identified, the app automatically alerts the user, who can then refer the patient to a local medical center for confirmation and potential treatment. Designed with usability and accessibility in mind, the solution empowers community health volunteers and local caregivers to conduct doorstep screenings — no specialized training required.

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Technology Meets Compassion

This solution was the result of deep interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers, AI researchers, and ophthalmologists. It underwent rigorous testing to ensure accuracy, safety, and effectiveness, achieving over 95% sensitivity and specificity — comparable to a trained ophthalmologist using specialized tools.

 

Why It Matters: Real-World Benefits

Transforming Preventive Eye Care with Aura’s Involvement

Aura’s entry into this critical healthcare challenge does not merely introduce a new technology — it brings a paradigm shift in how vision care is delivered, particularly to the most vulnerable and underserved populations. Here’s how our involvement is making a deep and lasting impact:

 

Accessibility & Affordability

This initiative is not commercial in nature — it’s a purpose-first innovation that aligns directly with Aura’s core mission: to build trust in society and solve important problems. By committing resources to a zero-revenue model, Aura signals that meaningful societal impact does not always require monetization. Traditional eye screenings often require specialized equipment, trained professionals, and clinical environments, which limits accessibility and makes them cost-prohibitive for rural communities. With Aura’s AI-integrated smartphone app, health volunteers can now screen individuals at virtually no cost, using only a basic smartphone — no hospital visits, no out-of-pocket expenses, and no delays.

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Impact: Cataract detection becomes as easy as taking a photograph — bringing quality healthcare to millions who would otherwise be left behind.

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Doorstep Convenience

For many elderly individuals, especially those in rural India, visiting a clinic can be a monumental task. It often involves arranging transportation, relying on a family member to accompany them, and potentially sacrificing an entire day’s income. These obstacles result in delayed or entirely missed diagnoses, exacerbating preventable blindness.

Aura’s app changes that dynamic completely. By enabling door-to-door cataract screening, healthcare comes directly to the individual’s home — eliminating dependency, reducing costs, and promoting early detection.

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Impact: Vulnerable senior citizens receive care at their doorstep, reducing physical, emotional, and economic strain on families and caretakers.

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Scaling Reach to Remote Regions

India’s healthcare system faces an acute disparity: only one ophthalmologist per 100,000 people, but a health volunteer (ASHA worker, NGO caregiver, or trained community leader) for every 1,000 people. The limited reach of specialists has historically hampered early diagnosis — but Aura’s solution flips this limitation into a strength.

By placing powerful, AI-driven diagnostic tools in the hands of health volunteers, the entire landscape of community care is transformed. These trusted local agents can now perform basic ophthalmologic evaluations without needing to refer patients first to urban hospitals.

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Impact: Screening capacity is expanded up to 100 times, making it possible to blanket entire rural districts with preventive eye care coverage.

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Saving Time and Resources

Studies show that the average Indian travels 4.9 kilometers just to reach a basic healthcare facility — often walking or depending on infrequent public transportation. For seniors, this travel isn’t just inconvenient — it’s a serious barrier that can lead to neglect or avoidable suffering. With Aura’s app, the clinic comes to the community. Eye images can be captured on the spot and processed instantly. There’s no waiting, no queueing, and no repeated visits. People flagged with cataracts can be prioritized for treatment quickly and efficiently.

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Impact: Families save time, income, and effort — while the healthcare system becomes more proactive and less reactive.

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Long-Term Transformation: A National Model

Aura’s model is not just a short-term fix. It’s a blueprint for nationwide change:

• Policy Support: Scalable solutions like this can support government health missions like the National Programme for Control of Blindness & Visual Impairment (NPCBVI).

• Training & Employment: Community volunteers can be trained and certified, creating local employment opportunities within healthcare ecosystems.

• Data Insights: With anonymized and consent-based data, public health bodies can gain better epidemiological insight into regional health trends — guiding resource allocation and policy.

 

Conclusion: The Power of Purpose-Led Innovation

By bridging technology with compassion, Aura has unlocked a solution that not only saves sight but restores dignity to millions. This is healthcare that is inclusive, intelligent, and inspiring — and it’s just the beginning of Aura’s larger mission to bring real-world solutions to life where they’re needed most.

 

A Vision for the Future

At Aura, innovation is never an isolated endeavor. This cataract screening initiative is not just a healthcare project — it is a blueprint for how technology, empathy, and systemic thinking can converge to solve society’s most urgent challenges. By tackling preventable blindness through accessible digital tools, Aura is demonstrating how scalable, tech-enabled solutions can drive sustainable, population-level health improvements. This project exemplifies our integrated, human-centered approach to problem-solving. We do not stop at providing technology; we embed it in ecosystems that include healthcare professionals, local governments, field volunteers, and data scientists. Every stakeholder plays a role in delivering real outcomes — and those outcomes are measurable, meaningful, and life-changing.

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The vision is bold but simple: A world where no one goes blind due to lack of access. A world where communities — regardless of geography or income — can rely on smart, trusted tools to safeguard their health and dignity. By enabling early detection of cataracts through something as ubiquitous as a smartphone, Aura is reducing the burden on overcrowded hospitals, empowering community health workers, and most importantly, preserving vision and quality of life for millions of elderly citizens. These individuals are not just patients — they are parents, workers, mentors, and cultural stewards. Helping them see again is helping entire communities thrive.

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Aura's Purpose in Action

This project reinforces Aura’s foundational mission:
To build trust in society and solve important problems.

• We solve real-world issues, not in isolation but through collaboration and systems thinking.

• We operate at the intersection of technology, purpose, and policy, offering not just tools but the frameworks to use them responsibly.

• We prioritize long-term transformation over short-term metrics, aligning our success with human progress.

This is how we ensure our work is not just innovative — but impactful.

 

Explore Our Transformation Services in India

Aura delivers tech-enabled, purpose-driven solutions that help organizations, governments, and grassroots communities become resilient, adaptive, and fit for the future. From public health to education, agriculture to sustainability — our India practice focuses on scalable innovation that uplifts people and strengthens systems.

• Strategic advisory and program design

• Technology integration for public and private sector use

• Data-driven insight platforms for decision-making

• Capacity building for government and local stakeholders

We don’t just consult — we collaborate, co-create, and build durable pathways to progress.

 

Dive Into Our Success Stories

This cataract screening initiative is just one example of how Aura works hand-in-hand with clients to turn complex challenges into breakthrough solutions. Across sectors, we are helping institutions:

• Improve citizen outcomes

• Enhance operational capacity

• Reach underserved populations

• Create measurable, lasting impact

Our work is not just about solving problems — it’s about unlocking the full potential of systems, people, and purpose.

 

At Aura, we see the future clearly — and we’re building it one transformative solution at a time.