Asst. Ophthalmology Prof. Paul Yates recently developed a new portable, inexpensive camera to take diagnostic images of the back of the eye, with help from second-year Engineering student Kenneth Tran. The new technology could help catch diabetes in early stages and bring more sophisticated eye care to third-world countries, Yates said.
Yates explained that one of the first signs of diabetes is a breakdown of blood vessels in the retina, which can be detected in a photograph of the retina. Diabetics without regular screenings can develop diabetic retinopathy, sometimes leading to blindness. If retina cameras were cheaply made, primary care doctors could perform retina screenings regularly — potentially increasing the early detection of diabetes.
The new retina camera could also have a “huge impact on international ophthalmology,” Yates said. “A number of groups fly in to provide eyewear to remote locations. These places often do not have power outlets necessary for the current models to operate.”
Furthermore, current portable models have power packs that weigh several pounds, Yates said, noting that the new model is no more than a couple of pounds.
Current retina cameras range between $15,000 and $100,000, Yates said, but the newly designed camera likely will cost between $1,000 and $1,500. The camera’s simple design will also make it easier for “typical nursing staff, as opposed to trained retinal photographers” to operate the camera, Tran said.
Tran and Yates acknowledged, however, that the new model makes some sacrifices for its lower price and portability.
“The image quality is not as good, but the point is, it doesn’t have to be for what its use is,” Yates said, because an initial diagnosis does not require anything more complex.
Yates first determined that there was a need for a simple camera while completing his residency in 2002. In the ophthalmology emergency room, he saw a patient at 3 a.m., called the doctor at home and had difficulty explaining what he saw. The simplest solution, Yates said, would have been “taking a picture of the back of the eye with a slightly specialized digital camera and e-mailing it to the doctor.” Six years later, though, no one had developed the technology.
Yates’s initial 2005 prototype did not have commercial potential, he said. After Yates shelved the project for a few years, Tran — who described himself as an experienced photographer — started helping with the project.
Most importantly, however, he had an “unbridled enthusiasm for the project,” Yates said.
Tran said his sense of motivation not only benefited the project, but also his own University experience.
“[This project] has definitely made my experience at U.Va. very fulfilling,” Tran said, adding that “even someone with no prior experience or knowledge [about a project] can make big contributions as long as they are interested and motivated.”
The University’s Institutional Review Board for Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Food and Drug Administration have yet to approve the camera. Nevertheless, Yates expects that it may be only 18 months until the new retina camera is available.
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