‘From assisting with eye surgery to diagnosing diseases, AI does it all’

“Do I need cosmetic procedures and surgery?” “What style suits me?”

An artificial intelligence company has come forth to answer these questions by realizing personalized beauty medical services.

Anigma Technologies is the company that has begun demonstrating a diagnostic solution for eye surgery using AI-based eye analysis through the K-Health project.

K-Health is a project co-promoted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA). The Daejeon Metropolitan Government will build and operate a Daejeon-type digital healthcare industry for five years until 2027 with the Daejeon Information and Culture Industry Promotion Agency and Konyang University Hospital.

Anigma Technologies has developed an AI system for eye cosmetic surgery that does not exist in Korea in collaboration with the Department of Plastic Surgery at Chungnam National University Hospital. Korea Biomedical Review talked to Anigma Technologies CEO Cho Kyung-min about this solution’s significance and the company’s plans.

Anigma Technologies CEO Cho Kyung-min

Question: What is the eye surgery diagnostic auxiliary solution utilizing AI-based eye analysis?

Answer: We plan to digitize disease diagnosis and eye analysis used in plastic surgery clinics through the K-Health business. For decades, plastic surgeons have struggled to measure and analyze the eyes and face. They have largely relied on manual measurements using tape measures. This approach has led to inaccurate diagnoses and difficulties in accurately assessing post-treatment outcomes. With this in mind, we decided to introduce AI automation in eye analysis. We plan to expand it to the entire face in the long term.

Q: How did you come up with the idea of using AI to develop an eye surgery solution?

A: Many medical fields are already adopting AI, and plastic surgery has also started to take an interest in this trend. There are many attempts to use AI for other parts of the body, but we decided to develop eye-related solutions because the eye is technically challenging and there have been few attempts to develop it.

Q: The solution is mainly for cosmetic purposes, but can it also be used for other purposes?

A: If the solution is advanced, it can also help diagnose various diseases. For example, it can be used to diagnose blepharospasm caused by thyroid disease, facial paralysis, or severe ptosis that blocks vision.

Image of an eye surgery diagnostic aid solution utilizing AI-based eye analysis.

Q: We heard that the solution could diagnose Asians through the pupil detection function, but we wondered if the application of the solution varies depending on race and age (pediatric, elderly, etc.) and if the results are different.

A: Asians tend to have difficulty distinguishing the color of their irises and pupils in photographs. AI can distinguish them better than before, an advantage for analyzing Asian eyes. Of course, Westerners can also be analyzed. They can be analyzed regardless of race and age, but pediatric patients may still have differences in (results).

Q: What results and advantages did you find in pre-clinical self-assessments?

A: In our pre-clinical self-assessment, we thought it would be useful in aesthetic counseling. We expected patients' satisfaction to increase because we could explain it visually. In addition, as we tested the solution through a demonstration with Chungnam National University Hospital, we expect positive results in diagnosing diseases.

Q: Many AI companies want to test their solutions in clinical settings but find it difficult. On the other hand, Anigma is participating in this medical support project aided by the Daejeon Metropolitan Government. What are your impressions?

A: It was a significant opportunity to test AI solutions that are difficult to challenge easily through this project. We found that medical professionals were very interested in AI solutions when we participated. Patients also responded positively to utilizing AI solutions with explanations from doctors. While research is essential, these testing opportunities will accelerate the development of Korean healthcare.

Q: What are your plans after the K-Health project?

A: Many photos are taken in plastic surgery. We want to develop a service that can systematically manage this photo data, anonymize it with generative AI, and share it safely. We plan to expand our business to integrate all plastic surgery data.