Dr Rishi Verma

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness amongst indigenous and rural population in Australia. Dr, Verma, has created an innovative portal ophthalmoscope to help solve this pressing health issue. The ophthalmology resident previously based at the Westmead Hospital eye surgery unit, has developed a working prototype of the ophthalmoscope which can detect early onset blindness. The ophthalmoscope can attach to a smartphone, allowing anyone without medical training to use it. This allows for easy screening of the indigenous and rural populations for diabetic retinopathy and therefore prevents the high rate of early onset blindness. The grant allows Dr Verma to produce his medical break-through device at scale.