I-Corps: RetiCue: Interactive Retinal Imaging for Improved Global Eye Health

提出的技术是一种低成本的便携式视网膜成像设备，用于诊断和监测视网膜病变的形式，及早进行医疗干预以防止视力丧失。使用计算摄影技术捕获和可视化图像，并将其传输到基于云的服务器，该服务器执行分析，并允许远程专家进行评估。这种方法不仅可以替代目前零售价为3.5万美元的相机，而且有可能改变视网膜成像的执行方式，并且可以在对软件界面进行最少的事先培训的情况下实现这种检测精度。这项技术的基础是两种新颖的策略。第一种技术是利用视网膜通过巩膜的间接漫射照明，而不是通过瞳孔的聚焦光束照明，这样就不需要专科医生来放大瞳孔并精确聚焦光束。光束也被用来照亮视网膜上的不同点。在对面眼睛前面的显示器上显示的刺激，没有被屏蔽，用来改变病人？S聚焦在他的视野上，产生完整的视网膜图像。第二种新策略利用双眼耦合——两只眼睛一起运动的现象。随着未来几十年医疗保健需求的飙升，所提出的方法将提供一种成本效益高且简单的方法来监测视网膜健康，并有可能改变估计价值30亿美元的视网膜成像市场。在价格、便携性和简单性方面的优势极大地提高了视网膜筛查的可及性。该应用程序可以很容易地扩展，以检测和监测许多其他视网膜相关疾病，如青光眼和年龄相关的黄斑变性，以及在视网膜中表现的其他疾病。移动计算、便携式成像和无线通信方面的最新进展有可能使视网膜成像在临床环境之外成为可能，这可能通过移动、非侵入性健康筛查对远程医疗产生重大影响。今后可能进行的频繁和大规模的门诊外视网膜成像可能为检测、诊断和治疗这类疾病提供新的机会。

The proposed technology is a low-cost portable retinal imaging device to diagnose and monitor forms of retinopathy, early enough for medical intervention to prevent vision loss. Images are captured and visualized using computational photography techniques and transmitted to a cloud-based server that performs analysis and allows access to remote experts for evaluation. This approach is not only intended as a substitute for present day cameras that retail for $35,000, but also has the potential to changes the way retinal imaging is performed and can achieve this detection accuracy with minimal prior training of its software interface. Two novel strategies underlie the technology. The first is a technique to utilize indirect diffused illumination of the retina through the sclera instead of illumination with a focused beam through the pupil, thus eliminating the need for a specialist to dilate the pupil and precisely focus the beam. The beam is also used to illuminate different points on the retina. A stimulus presented on a display in front of the opposing eye, not being screened is used to vary the patient?s focus across his visual field to generate the full retinal image. This second novel strategy exploits binocular coupling - the phenomenon of both eyes moving together. With soaring demand for health care in the coming decades, the proposed approach will provide a cost-effective and simple way to monitor retinal health and can potentially transform the $3 Billion estimated market for retinal imaging. The advantage in price, portability, and simplicity dramatically increases accessibility to retinal screening. The application can easily be expanded to detect and monitor many other retina related disorders, such as glaucoma and age related macular degeneration, as well as other diseases that manifest in the retina. Recent advances in mobile computing, portable imaging, and wireless communication have the potential to enable retinal imaging outside of clinical settings, which could have significant impact on tele-medicine through mobile, non-invasive health screenings. Future possibilities for frequent and out-of-clinic retinal imaging on a large scale may provide new opportunities for the detection, diagnosis and treatment of such diseases.