Handheld OCT scanner could reduce waiting times

A new handheld OCT, which could help to address long hospital waiting times, could be ready by 2018. 

A prototype of the system is currently being tested at Moorfields Eye Hospital. 

Consultant ophthalmologist, Dr Pearse Keane, gave a presentation on the project at the Moorfields annual general meeting. 

While still a prototype, the device could one day offer whole-eye OCT along with other eye examination tests, all in a handheld system.

Dr Keane, said: “We hope to have the device ready and available for CE marking and subsequent commercial availability around 2018,”

“In the medium term, we’re looking to have this in the hospital eye service, in retinal therapy clinics and injection clinics where people often have to wait for hours for a relatively routine decision. So if we could automate a lot of that process, we can increase the efficiency, reduce the costs and really improve the quality of life of patients attending these clinics."

The OCT project is also collaborating with Google DeepMind to see if artificial intelligence can assist in diagnosing eye disease.