Eye infections are common in rural farming communities. A scratch on the cornea caused during agricultural work can get infected and turn into a scar, then an ulcer. These corneal ulcers cause blindness and visual impairment in 4.3 million people worldwide every year, according to data published by The Lancet Global Health.
Dongkyun "DK" Kang and Jaya Chidambaram
Existing methods for diagnosing these ulcers can be costly, invasive and time-consuming, and they're not always accessible for those living in rural areas.
University of Arizona researcher Dongkyun "DK" Kang, teamed up with Jaya Chidambaram, a senior lecturer at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, to develop a portable technology that could be applied to corneal imaging to make diagnoses faster, more affordable, and accessible in rural communities.