Low-cost High-resolution fundus camera

描述（由申请人提供）：主要目的是临床证明一种商业上可行、低成本、高分辨率的眼底相机，该相机易于使用，即与当前眼底相机的操作一致；具有当前眼底相机的典型视场（FOV）（15至30度）；与现有临床仪器相比，分辨率提高5倍或更多；而且，价格将低于今天的临床设备。在第一阶段，展示了一种低成本的消除低阶像差、聚焦和散光的方法。结果表明，去除低阶像差可以显著提高图像的分辨率。在第二阶段，具体目标是将低成本低阶像差补偿器集成到扫描激光检眼镜（SLO）中。这种新的SLO将产生视网膜和视盘图像，与目前的商用相机相比，分辨率提高了五倍。研究人员试图在高空间分辨率下更深入地了解视网膜和视盘的机制，从而使毛细血管和神经纤维束等结构（4至8微米）可视化。视网膜图像质量下降的主要来源是人眼内部的像差。这些眼像差的存在，其中许多是随机的和不确定的，由于衍射效应，限制了可实现的分辨率和小图像细节的对比度。为了克服这些基本限制，研究人员一直在应用自适应光学技术来校正像差。如今，基于可变形镜的自适应光学设备已经开发出来，克服了标准眼底相机的局限性，但价格超过50万美元。VisionQuest提出的设备与上述研究级自适应光学仪器具有相同的目标，但由于其与当前视网膜摄影技术的相似之处以及其较低的成本技术，因此以一种最终更适合临床使用的方式实现。我们提出的设备通过采用独特且明显便宜的波前测量和像差校正技术，避免了高成本，复杂性和有限的视场。VisionQuest的目标是展示一种先进的成像技术，为医疗保健系统引入一种有效且低成本（10,000美元或更低）的诊断工具。公共卫生相关性：视网膜成像用于诊断视网膜疾病或监测视网膜疾病的治疗和/或进展是标准的护理。大大改善视网膜图像，特别是成本低于目前的眼底相机，将对我们在美国实施大规模视网膜疾病筛查的能力产生重大影响。一种低成本的视网膜相机将使患有三种主要眼病（即年龄相关性黄斑变性、糖尿病性视网膜病变或青光眼）的个人能够早期发现和护理。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The principal objective is to demonstrate clinically a commercially viable, low-cost, high-resolution fundus camera that: is easy to use, i.e., consistent with the operation of current fundus cameras; has a field of view (FOV) that is typical of current fundus cameras (15 to 30 degrees); has a factor of five or more improvement in resolution as compared to existing clinical instruments; and, will be priced below that of today's clinical devices. In Phase I, a low-cost means for removing low-order aberrations, focus and astigmatism, was demonstrated. It was shown that removal of low-order aberrations would result in significantly better resolution images. In Phase II, the specific aims are to integrate the low-cost low-order aberrations compensator into a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO). This new SLO would produce retinal and optic disc images that have five times better resolution when compared to today's commercial cameras. Researchers have sought to gain greater insight into the mechanisms of the retina and the optic disc at high spatial resolutions that would enable the visualization of structures (4 to 8 micrometers) such as capillaries and nerve fiber bundles. Major sources of retinal image quality degradation are aberrations within the human eye. The presence of these ocular aberrations, many of them random and non deterministic, limits the achievable resolution and the contrast of small image details due to diffraction effects. To overcome these fundamental limitations, researchers have been applying adaptive optics techniques to correct for the aberrations. Today, deformable mirror based adaptive optics devices have been developed to overcome the limitations of standard fundus cameras, but at prices in excess of $500,000. The device proposed by VisionQuest addresses the same goals as the above research grade adaptive optics instruments but does so in a manner which will ultimately be better suited for clinical use because of its similarity to current retinal photographic techniques and its lower cost technology. Our proposed device avoids the high costs, complexity, and limited FOV by adopting unique and notably less expensive wavefront measurement and aberration correction techniques. VisionQuest's goal is to demonstrate an advanced imaging technology that introduces an effective and low cost ($10,000 or less) diagnostic tool to the healthcare system. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Retinal imaging for the purposes of diagnosis of retinal diseases or for monitoring the treatment and/or progression of retinal diseases is standard of care. Greatly improved images of the retina, especially at costs that are lower than current fundus cameras, would have a significant impact on our ability to implement broad-scale screening throughout the U.S. for retinal disease. A low-cost retinal camera would enable the early detection and care of individuals with any of the three major eye diseases, i.e., age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, or glaucoma.