Low-Cost Screening for Diabetic Eye Disease
Aeon Imaging has developed a low-cost and easy to use device, the Laser Scanning Digital Camera (LSDC), to screen for eye disease. By screening at-risk populations, individuals with diseases such as diabetic retinopathy can be referred to eye care professionals for treatment and monitoring before serious vision loss occurs.
LSDC image of a 60 year old Hispanic Caucasian male taken at our partner screening site in California. Analysis of the image shows proliferative diabetic retinopathy, requiring referral to a specialist for treatment.
Unlike cameras widely used at optometrist and ophthalmologist offices, the LSDC has been specifically designed for screening applications in both permanent and field sites. Not only is the LSDC lower cost than competing products, but its real-time display and use of near infrared light provides useable images in virtually all patients, including those with cataracts, without incurring the discomfort caused by pupil dilation. Aeon’s unique optical design of the LSDC is protected by US and international patents pending. The LSDC’s full specifications can be found here.
LSDC and fundus camera images of a 63 year old African American male taken within minutes of each other. The use of near-infrared light in the LSDC allows it to successfully image patients with moderate media opacities and cataracts.
Aeon has embedded the LSDC into a supporting IT system to enable fast and efficient DR screening. The LSDC’s images are automatically encrypted and uploaded to Aeon’s HIPAA compliant cloud server at the completion of each imaging session, from where they can be accessed by trained image graders anywhere in the world. In addition to image transfer, a comprehensive database with de-identified patient-specific metrics and operational measures of performance are recorded in real-time, allowing Aeon to integrate, monitor, and control all steps in the screening-referral process.