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Automated quantitative ulcer analysis: Diagnosing fungal organisms for corneal ulcers

This project develops AQUA (Automated Quantitative Ulcer Analysis), a free, open-source deep-learning algorithm to help clinicians in low-resource settings identify fungal organism types in microbial keratitis — a leading cause of blindness that disproportionately affects agricultural communities in warm-climate LMICs. Built on 1,700+ prospectively collected cases from Aravind Eye Care Systems in India, the algorithm analyzes slit-lamp photography and clinical risk factors to classify fungal subtypes at the point of care, filling a critical gap where current gold-standard lab methods are too slow, expensive, or unavailable. The project delivers both the algorithm and a cloud-based clinical decision tool accessible to under-resourced eye clinics worldwide.

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Start Date

April 1, 2026

End Date

April 1, 2027

Location

India

Project Investigators

Maria Woodward, MD, MS

Professor

Medical School
Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Mercy Pawar (non-member)

Study coordinator

Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
N. Venkatesh Prajna DO DNB FRCO (non-member)

Chief of Cornea Service

Collaborating Organizations

Aravind Eye Care Systems Madurai
India

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