ECS03
LIGHTFIELD MEDICAL: AUTOMATED CAPTURE OF THE SLIT LAMP EXAM—REINVENTING AN 85- YEAR OLD TECHNOLOGY
J. C. Berestka1,*
1NORTHWEST EYE, MINNEAPOLIS, United States
The ophthalmic slit lamp–the heart and soul of ophthalmology–has not seen any innovation in decades. The current slit lamp exam paradigm requires the doctor to be present in the room with the patient. The slit-lamp exam is ephemeral and cannot be digitally saved. Existing slit lamp cameras slow down the encounter, provide inadequate images and cannot be delegated to a typical technician. Limitations in current slit-lamp technology preclude adequate telemedicine in ophthalmology and throttles ophthalmologist productivity.
Ophthalmologists have been able to delegate retinal and optic nerve imaging to technicians for decades. The missing link in ophthalmology is a way to automatically capture the slit-lamp exam. Our medical device uses proprietary technology to capture the entire slit-lamp exam. A minimally trained technician only needs to align the device on the pupil and press a button. The device takes over and then images the anterior segment for the ophthalmologist. The eye doctor can then navigate through the the exam in any order using gestures on an iPhone and iPad. Patients can now see their own slit-lamp findings either in the office or in the comfort of their home.
Our patented technology (4 US and 1 UK patent granted) will allow eye doctors to more efficiently see patients by delegating exam acquisition to technicians. imagine a scenario where postop or brief exam patients are seen by a technician at a satellite office close to their home. The exam could later be reviewed by an ophthalmologist in between surgeries. Findings and instructions could be communicated back to the patient by a quick video text.
Our medical device will be increasingly needed as eye care is about to experience a productivity crunch. The US National Eye Institute predicts a 24% increase in ophthalmology demand by 2023 due to an aging population, yet the ophthalmology supply is expected to decline by 12% during the same period.
Our product will allow the entire slit-lamp exam to be fully documented for the first time. With our technology eye exams can now be compared from visit to visit, and from doctor to doctor. The standardized lighting and viewing angles will create a homogenous image database for artificial intelligence.
Patients can be given a copy of their eye exam to view on their phones, in much the same way that patients can now scroll through their MRI exams in apps such as MyChart in the US.
Currently, less than 1% of eye exams are done through telemedicine, because until now there was no good way to capture the examination of the front of the eye.
Our device will cost half as much as a wide-field retina camera such as Optos, providing value to patients and doctors. Our medical device could bring eye care to remote areas of the world that are currently underserved by eye doctors.