TANDEM SCANNING OPTHALMOSCOPE--A PORTABLE RETINAL IMAGER

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DESCRIPTION: A novel design is proposed for a portable (hand-held) ophthalmoscope with no moving parts. The instrument will incorporate the confocal contrast enhancement of the scanning laser ophthalmoscope as well as its expanded functionality as a diagnostic device. This inexpensive, light-weight ophthalmoscope is intended to serve the market presently held by the direct ophthalmoscope, and to include the market of most fundus cameras. By virtue of its portability the tandem scanning ophthalmoscope will be useful at -bedside, in pediatrics, in emergency medicine and in veterinary medicine. All of the components of this -new ophthalmoscope are readily available at the present time, so that only the optical design and implementation need to be proven in Phase I. By Phase II we intend to have a manufacturable instrument working in color (visible) or pseudo-color (infrared), in direct (confocal) or indirect (anti-confocal) mode and capable of psychophysics and fluorescence angiography, with standard resolution and ANSI compliant light levels. The display will be on TV or computer monitor, in real time. Direct comparison to the scanning laser ophthalmoscope and its variants is a part of the proposal. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The Tandem Scanning Ophthalmoscope is expected to be sold to the same market as are direct ophthalmoscopes. That includes primary care physicians, emergency medical personnel and veterinary and research users of retinal imaging devices. Lucid, Inc. will probably manufacture the instrument for sale through appropriate ophthalmological suppliers. The market could be as much as 5,000 per year world wide, and the price should eventually be as low as a few hundreds of dollars.