Field Portable Digital Opthalmoscope/Fundus Camera

Proper, definitive ophthalmological care cannot be routinely provided to soldiers afflicted with eye injuries far forward in the field medical system. The instrumentation required to enable this care under field conditions currently does not exist. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I program proposes to develop a ruggedized, field portable digital ophthalmoscope that will enable care providers at forward medical treatment facilities to deliver specialized ophthalmological care. The Phase I program has five main objectives: (1) Survey existing ophthalmoscope/fundus camera technology; (2) Determine the desired capabilities of the proposed ophthalmoscope; (3) Determine the performance envelope the proposed ophthalmoscope must function within; (4) Conduct a trade-off study on developing a baseline system; (5) Demonstrate an initial capability of telemedicine. A successful Phase I program will establish a design for Phase II work to implement as a prototype. A compact, field portable ophthalmoscope with the capability of telemedicine could increase the possibility of early diagnosis of ocular trauma and disease, and deliver specialized ophthalmological care to more patients over any distance and at any time, at greatly reduced cost.