The details of the partnership aren't entirely clear at this point, but Nikon will apparently use its expertise in "optical engineering and precision manufacturing, its proprietary ultra-widefield technology and strong commercial presence among eyecare specialists." Verily, on the other hand, is in charge of the machine learning technology side of things.

Verily has been pretty busy since it became a separate company a year ago. In addition to its diabetes-related projects, it launched its own robot surgery spinoff and created a sensor-laden health-tracking watch. It also developed a wearable microscope that can see inside a person's skin, so doctors can detect cancers and monitor drug delivery in a patient's body.