Remidio Innovative Solutions has released results from a large scale, real world validation study that demonstrates the high diagnostic performance of its AI-based diabetic retinopathy screening system in actual clinical and community settings across India. The study, involving more than 15,000 retinal images from diverse populations, is believed to be one of the most comprehensive evaluations of an indigenous AI-DR tool in a low- and middle-income country context.

Conducted in partnership with leading ophthalmology centres, public health organisations, and screening programmes, the research tested Remidio’s portable fundus camera paired with its deep learning algorithm against gold standard grading by retina specialists. The AI achieved sensitivity of 92–96% and specificity of 89–93% for identifying referable diabetic retinopathy (moderate non-proliferative DR or worse, including macular oedema) performance levels that meet or exceed international benchmarks for DR screening tools.

Importantly, the system maintained strong accuracy even under challenging real world conditions: variable image quality due to pupil dilation challenges, uneven lighting in rural camps, and diverse ethnic and pigmentation variations common in Indian patients. The AI also showed low false positive rates, helping to reduce unnecessary referrals to overburdened tertiary centres while ensuring high risk cases are promptly flagged.

Dr. Anand Sivaraman, Founder & CEO of Remidio, highlighted the significance of the results: “Diabetic retinopathy remains a leading cause of preventable blindness in India, yet access to specialist screening is limited outside major cities. This real world validation proves our AI can deliver specialist-level accuracy in the hands of general physicians and trained technicians at the point of care making early detection feasible at scale.”

The study also evaluated operational feasibility: screening throughput increased significantly in field settings, turnaround time for results dropped to under 10 minutes, and the portable, non-mydriatic camera allowed screening without dilating eye drops improving patient compliance and comfort.

Remidio’s technology is already deployed in several state level DR screening programmes and has been validated in earlier multi centre studies. With this latest evidence, the company is expanding partnerships with public health authorities, corporate wellness programmes, and primary care chains to scale community-based DR screening nationwide.

India has an estimated 77 million adults living with diabetes, with diabetic retinopathy prevalence ranging from 15–25% in screened populations. Early detection through accessible, accurate tools is critical to preventing irreversible vision loss, yet specialist shortages and geographic barriers continue to limit coverage. AI-enabled portable screening solutions like Remidio’s are increasingly seen as a practical bridge to fill this gap.