Low-cost OCT scanner promises to save eyesight

Thanks to a redesigned, 3D-printed spectrometer, the scanner is 15 times lighter and smaller than current commercial systems and is made from parts costing less than a tenth the retail price of commercial systems.

In its first clinical trial, the new OCT scanner produced images of 120 retinas that were said to be 95 per cent as sharp as those taken by current commercial systems. The results of the work carried out by biomedical engineers at Duke University, North Carolina, appear online in Translational Vision Science & Technology.

OCT imaging has become the standard of care for the diagnosis of many retinal diseases including macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. However, OCT is rarely included as part of a standard screening exam since the machines are expensive.

"The key to preventing blindness is early detection," said Adam Wax, professor of biomedical engineering at Duke. "Our goal is to make OCT drastically less expensive so more clinics can afford the devices, especially in global health settings."