How One Man’s Loss Sparked a New Vision for AI in Global Healthcare

• AI-like tool-mediated diagnosis, like Mediwhale, is reshaping early disease detection across different healthcare systems in the world.
• Kevin Choi’s journey inspires targeted innovation ideas on usefulness, accuracy, and speed of medical diagnosis in different circumstances.

Can a personal health crisis lead to a global breakthrough? For this gentleman, the answer is yes. Sudden vision loss due to glaucoma spurred a new path, not just for his own life but also for how AI might transform medical diagnosis. The story of Mediwhale is trying to tell about the evolving qualities of personal needs, scalable technology, and early treatments for accessible medicine. From Seoul to São Paulo, from London to Lagos, the impact of AI in medicine is gaining momentum.

Kevin Choi was 24 when he noticed symptoms of glaucoma, such as a persistent blur in his right eye. Working long hours in finance, he assumed it was eye strain. By the time he saw a specialist, the damage was done. Diagnosed with advanced glaucoma, Choi had already lost nearly 50% of his vision in one eye. The loss was irreversible.

The World Health Organisation reports that glaucoma affects over 80 million people globally, with projections reaching 112 million by 2040. It is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. Shockingly, over half of glaucoma cases remain undiagnosed, often because symptoms don’t appear until the disease is in an advanced stage.

Faced with this reality, Choi made a decision that would change his life again: he left finance and founded Mediwhale in 2016, a startup dedicated to using retinal imaging and artificial intelligence to detect diseases early before symptoms show.

The Global Problem: Silent Diseases, Delayed Diagnosis

Most chronic conditions, including glaucoma, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease, are silent in their early stages. They are also more likely to be detected late in low-resource settings or among patients who avoid specialist visits.

Traditional diagnosis methods can be time-consuming, expensive, and inaccessible. Many countries lack sufficient ophthalmologists, and waiting times can exceed months. For low- and middle-income nations, the barriers are even higher.

For example, the All India Ophthalmological Society has estimated significant specialist shortages in India, with many rural districts underserved. Similar gaps exist across much of Africa and Southeast Asia.

The Tech Approach: Mediwhale’s AI System

Mediwhale developed an AI-based tool that uses retinal imaging to assess the risk of several diseases in under one minute. Using a compact, non-invasive fundus camera, an image of the retina is taken and processed by the AI software trained on millions of scans.

The system can flag early indicators of:

• Glaucoma
• Cardiovascular conditions
• Chronic kidney disease

It does this without the need for dilation, specialist interpretation, or lengthy processing times. This makes it highly adaptable in a range of settings: general clinics, community health centres, mobile units, and pharmacies.

Although Mediwhale has reported promising internal results, specific sensitivity figures such as a 91% rate for early glaucoma detection in a 12,000-patient trial have yet to be published in peer-reviewed journals.

Similarly, figures from trials in Brazil and Indonesia—citing the detection of early kidney disease in 18% of asymptomatic participants and improved referrals by 40%—are internally reported and pending independent validation.

A Global Use Case In South Korea, Mediwhale has been integrated into primary care for high-risk patients. In Singapore, it is part of a pilot with government-backed polyclinics. In Europe, hospitals in Zurich and Madrid are conducting long-term validation studies.

This model is gaining traction because it addresses three key challenges in global healthcare:

• A shortage of specialists
• Rising incidence of chronic diseases
• Increasing healthcare costs

Use cases from pilot markets have provided anecdotal evidence supporting quicker diagnostics and improved patient management.

The Role of AI in Supporting Doctors Kevin Choi emphasises that AI is not designed to replace medical professionals. Instead, it serves as a support system, improving accuracy and speed while freeing up doctors to focus on treatment.

The World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Health AI Report projects that by 2030, AI will play a foundational role in triage and diagnostics, especially in high-volume, low-resource environments. Yet, trust and oversight remain critical.

Mediwhale operates under strict data governance frameworks. The company follows local regulations for data storage and privacy, including GDPR compliance in Europe and HIPAA guidelines in the United States.

AI tools like this will increasingly require international collaboration on standards to ensure interoperability, accuracy, and ethical use.

Personal Impact: The Stories Behind the Scans.

Beyond statistics, Mediwhale’s early adopters report powerful personal stories.

• A 38-year-old teacher in Thailand learned of early-stage heart risk through a routine AI eye scan. Lifestyle changes and follow-ups prevented a more serious condition.
• A diabetic patient in Dubai used Mediwhale at a pharmacy screening event. The AI flagged retinal changes. A specialist confirmed early diabetic retinopathy, leading to immediate treatment.

These cases reflect a wider truth: early knowledge can shift outcomes.

Building Trust and Brand Recognition in Health Tech.

For a tech brand entering the health sector, perception is as crucial as performance.

Mediwhale positions itself not only as a clinical-grade tool but as an accessible product with global applications. Its branding is focused on trust, clarity, and medical validation. Unlike wearables, which are often viewed as lifestyle gadgets, Mediwhale aims to be recognised as a diagnostic asset.

According to McKinsey & Company, a recent global survey of healthcare executives found that 85% are open to incorporating AI tools into their clinical practices if the solutions are validated and show workflow efficiency.

Global Expansion and Market Goals:

Mediwhale recently raised $12 million in Series A funding. Combined with previous rounds, total funding now exceeds $23 million. The company plans to expand into North American, Middle Eastern, and African markets through local partnerships.

Next-phase goals include:

• WHO prequalification for use in global public health initiatives
• Integrations with telehealth platforms
• Collaborations with NGOs for rural health deployment

While there are ongoing discussions around new market entries, confirmed partnerships in countries such as Kenya, Mexico, or Germany have not been formally announced.

What This Means for the Global Patient.

Whether you are in Seoul, Lagos, Buenos Aires, or Toronto, there are steps you can take:

• Stay informed about screening technologies offered in your area
• Ask healthcare providers about AI-assisted tools
• Participate in screenings, especially if you have chronic disease risk factors

AI tools will not cure disease. But they can help catch it early. And early matters.

The Road Ahead

Mediwhale was born from a single patient’s loss, but it now serves thousands. As more countries adopt AI in diagnostics, the challenge will be harmonising innovation with equity.

Kevin Choi set out to solve a personal problem. In the process, he touched on a global one: how do we give more people, in more places, access to fast, reliable health insights?

As Mediwhale grows, it offers a case study for how health tech brands can balance commercial goals with real-world impact.

This isn’t just about early detection. It’s about redefining what healthcare access looks like in a connected, AI-powered world.