Validation of the Welch Allyn RetinaVueTM 100 Imager Handheld Fundus Camera for Teleretinal Imaging in Primary Care
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults¹, but up to 95% of cases can be prevented if detected and treated at an early stage². Unfortunately, if diabetic patients do not schedule and attend annual ophthalmologic appointments, the disease may go undetected, resulting in permanent vision loss or blindness.
Historically, handheld fundus cameras have not been widely adopted for diabetic retinal exams in primary care settings due to poor image quality and difficulty to operate—but advances in fundus imaging technology is changing that.
This study outlines:
- The new RetinaVue 100 Imager can be effectively used in non-eye care settings.
- How retinal images can be captured by minimally experienced operators in just four minutes.
- That a high percentage of these images can be successfully interpreted by an ophthalmologist.
1 CDC Vision Health Initiative (VHI), Common Eye Disorders. www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/basics/ced/index.html.
2 National Eye Institute, Facts about Diabetic Eye Disease. http://nei.nih.gov/health/diabetic /retinopathy
