TRADITIONALLY, RETINAL CAMERAS were a large expense and pupils needed to be dilated to capture detailed images of the retina. However, in the past five years, high quality, non-mydriatic cameras that do not require dilation have come on the market costing a fraction of the price. There are also hand-held, wireless options and technology continues to improve. For example, D-EYE is building an artificial intelligence platform to help assess if a patient has a specific disease. Its goal is to provide a mass screening platform using their system and access to an approved database, to deliver an “assessment” (not a diagnosis) of the exam results for specific diseases so the patient can progress to the next level of care.
Hill-Rom Welch Allyn
Hill-Rom Welch Allyn RetinaVue 100 Imager
(800) 535-6663, welchallyn.com
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Topcon Medical Systems
TRC-NW400 fully automated, non-mydriatic retinal camera
(800) 223-1130, topconmedical.com
Coburn Technologies
SK-650 Retinal Camera
(800) 262-8761, coburntechnologies.com
Marco
Marco’s AFC-330 Automated Fundus Camera, SK-650 Retinal Camera
(800) 874-5274, marco.com
Canon USA
Canon CR-2 PLUS AF Digital Non-Mydriatic Retinal Camera
(800) 652-2666, usa.canon.com
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D-EYE
D-EYE Retinal Imaging System
(401) 473-6323, d-eyecare.com
Smart Ways To Use Retinal Cameras
Dr. William Goldstein, Laser Eye Care Center, Shelby Township, MI
I use D-EYE’s fundus camera to document the optic nerve in patients who have glaucoma or suspected glaucoma. I started to use D-EYE three years ago. It’s an attachment for the iPhone that has a lens you pop on when you need it. I used to have a camera mounted to a slit lamp in one exam room. Now I travel from room to room to take pictures and this has improved efficiency. I add the picture to the patient’s record and bill insurance for the office visit in addition to the procedure code for taking the picture. The only disadvantage to the D-EYE system is that its field of view of the retina is small.
Dr. Edward Chaum, Vanderbilt Eye Institute, Nashville, TN
This country needs to make it a scalable paradigm to effectively and efficiently screen patients for evidence of vision threatening eye disease in a primary care setting. There are 30 million diabetics in this country but only about half of them are seen by an eyecare professional. It is estimated that the number of diabetics will grow to 100 million within the next 20 years. Finding people and treating them early is critical. Most get seen by a primary care physician or endocrinologist but many need a second level of care and they’re falling through the cracks. Since the cost of a retinal camera has come down, spending about $5,000 to buy one is not a significant burden. Welch-Allyn’s RetinaVue device helps with eye care compliance among diabetic patients who might not otherwise get a retinal exam with a specialist in a timely manner.
