<p>In this paper we report on the design and testing of a multi-functional ophthalmic device for remote eye examinations. Currently, standard care in ophthalmology monitors patient eye health through routine follow-up phone calls or in-person office visits. While in-person office visits allow physicians to directly assess the eye health of a patient, routine follow-up phone calls often do not provide sufficient information to determine if an office visit is necessary. This results in unnecessary office visits and limits the patient to infrequent monitoring that can only be performed in-person. As the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose challenges for public health, social distancing guidelines and restricted closed-door environments increase the need for the elimination of unnecessary office visits in lieu of at home examinations.</p><p>The internet enabled ophthalmic device developed in our research addresses this pressing need. The device integrates two standard examination instruments typically used in-clinic to assess the eye health of a patient, i.e., the slit lamp and the visual acuity tester. The slit lamp mode projects a sweeping slit of light onto the anterior chamber of the eye. The patient simply positions the ophthalmic device in front of the eyes and begins with the examination using a button-controlled interface. Physicians can view the patient’s eye live remotely or access the results from the self-examination later using images and video recordings. The visual acuity mode allows patients to test their visual acuity through a series of images similar to those on a so-called “Snellen” chart. More importantly, the device allows the patient to perform the exam without a secondary person or trained technician. The off-the-shelf optical and electrical components are fitted within a compact design and 3D printed casing to allow for ease of handling. In this paper, we report on preliminary tests of the ophthalmic device and show results from slit lamp and visual acuity examinations. The user-friendly device is a “clinic in a box” that addresses the accessibility challenges related to complex instruments that can only be used in the clinic by trained professionals. Ultimately, the device connects patients to physicians in their own home and promises to be a great improvement in ophthalmic care.</p>

Portable Ophthalmic Device for Remote Slit-Lamp Examinations and Visual Acuity Screening

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ISPS/ISPS2021/volume/84799

ASME 2021 Information Storage and Processing Systems (ISPS2021)

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