You may have often gone for a vision or eye test and asked to put some kind of eye drops before the examination. You may have found the whole process a bit annoying as these drops tend to make your vision blurry but they are requires as they enlarge the pupil of the eye which allows the doctor to examine the inside of the eye in order to diagnose and treat eye diseases. The effect of the dilating eye drops usually lasts from 4 hours to 24 hours. But thanks to a recent technological development, you may not need them anymore.Scientists from the University of Illinois at Chicago have developed a portable camera that can photograph the retina without the use of pupil-dilating eye drops. The camera is made with simple parts mostly available online and the cost involved was just $185. Also read: (Yoga For Eyes:5 Really Easy Exercises You Can Do Anytime)
How does it work? The camera emits infrared light which the iris, the muscle that controls the opening of the pupil, does not react to. Most retina cameras use white light, which is the main reason why pupil-dilating eye drops are needed. The infrared light is used to focus the camera on the retina and a quick flash of white light is delivered as the picture is taken. The camera is based on the Rasp berry Pi 2 computer which is a low cost, single-board computer that is connected to small, infrared camera and a dual infrared and white-light-emitting diode.
How does it work? The camera emits infrared light which the iris, the muscle that controls the opening of the pupil, does not react to. Most retina cameras use white light, which is the main reason why pupil-dilating eye drops are needed. The infrared light is used to focus the camera on the retina and a quick flash of white light is delivered as the picture is taken. The camera is based on the Rasp berry Pi 2 computer which is a low cost, single-board computer that is connected to small, infrared camera and a dual infrared and white-light-emitting diode.
Advertisement