A Single Digital Handheld Imaging Device For Use In Both Ophthalmology And Dentistry
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$431,221.00
Summary
Our aim is to produce and validate a single digital imaging device which can be used in ophthalmology (both for retinal and anterior segment imaging) and dentistry. This device will be low-cost, easy-to-operate and portable. Our planned development of the novel screening tool should help in bringing high quality, lower cost health care to those without easy access to it, firstly to residents of rural areas in Australia and then in developing countries in our region. This can be achieved by more ....Our aim is to produce and validate a single digital imaging device which can be used in ophthalmology (both for retinal and anterior segment imaging) and dentistry. This device will be low-cost, easy-to-operate and portable. Our planned development of the novel screening tool should help in bringing high quality, lower cost health care to those without easy access to it, firstly to residents of rural areas in Australia and then in developing countries in our region. This can be achieved by more efficient screening methods and redirecting resources to target those with treatable eye disease only. The detection process can be progressively transferred to less expensive health workers while ophthalmologist input can be redirected to monitoring the screening results and performing surgery. The dentists travel infrequently to rural and remote WA. If the dentist can pre plan their treatment then it will be more efficient and possible to treat more people at each visit to remote and rural WA. With the help of the proposed imaging device for dentistry, the nurses and other allied personnel should be able to send the digital images in advance to dentist over Internet and therefore help dentist pre-plan their treatment. As a result, improved dental care for rural, remote and underserved communities will occur.Read moreRead less
Web-based Multimedia Information Management System For Use In Remote Diagnosis Of Eye Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$196,000.00
Summary
Our aim is to develop a web-based multimedia information management system for use in remote diagnosis of eye diseases. The proposed system will provide medical advice and diagnosis, information and distance education for those working in health care as well as the community, computer-aided diagnosis and assistance in the operational and medical decision-making process. Less expensive health care personnel should be able to use the system with little training in remote and rural areas. Significa ....Our aim is to develop a web-based multimedia information management system for use in remote diagnosis of eye diseases. The proposed system will provide medical advice and diagnosis, information and distance education for those working in health care as well as the community, computer-aided diagnosis and assistance in the operational and medical decision-making process. Less expensive health care personnel should be able to use the system with little training in remote and rural areas. Significantly, the project should empower remote general doctors and nurses by proper access to expert advice, save many remote patients from unnecessary visits to specialist centres on the one hand and allow more proper diagnosis and intervention on the other. It has the potential for significant reductions in the cost of health care delivery, should strengthening the bond between medical services in remote and city areas, provide training and education of local GPs, nurses, health care workers and optometrists and provide web-based disease management systems will provide instant access to health care information. The outcomes of this project are potentially of great significance to remote and rural communities in Australia and around the world. There will be an enormous impact on current health care practices. Significantly, the project should empower remote general doctors and nurses by proper access to expert advice, save many remote patients from unnecessary visits to specialist centres on the one hand and allow more proper diagnosis and intervention on the other. It has the potential for significant reductions in the cost of health care delivery, should strengthening the bond between medical services in remote and city areas, provide training and education of local GPs, nurses, health care workers and optometrists and provide web-based disease management systems will provide instant access to health care information. The outcomes of this project are potentially of great significance to remote and rural communities in Australia and around the world. There will be an enormous impact on current health care practices.Read moreRead less
Development Of A Slit Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope As A Screening Tool In Glaucoma Diagnostics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$195,830.00
Summary
Glaucoma is typified by progressive optic disc cupping and loss of fibres with consequent characteristic field defects. Direct imaging of the retina and quantitative assessment of such images greatly increases early diagnosis of this blinding disease. The proposed device, a laser line scanning ophthalmoscope, could support non-invasive imaging to obtain 3-D information in a simple and cost effective way. This could provide objective clinical parameters to support the decision making process.
Development And Evaluation Of Teleophthalmic Systems For Screening Of Common Blinding Eye Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$263,918.00
Summary
Portable ophthalmic instruments will provide digital images for storage and telemetric transmission to a disease control centre. We will be assessing and developing new portable ophthalmic imaging instruments, and validating them for common blinding eye conditions. The aim is to assess the ability of various health personal to document glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, active trachoma, corneal scarring and cataract in rural screenings using digital imaging technology. A network of ophthalmologists ....Portable ophthalmic instruments will provide digital images for storage and telemetric transmission to a disease control centre. We will be assessing and developing new portable ophthalmic imaging instruments, and validating them for common blinding eye conditions. The aim is to assess the ability of various health personal to document glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, active trachoma, corneal scarring and cataract in rural screenings using digital imaging technology. A network of ophthalmologists, health department personnel and aboriginal health workers in Western Australia will be involved. The project will also examine the quality of images obtained by health workers with various levels of skills and compare this with conventional photographs currently obtained by the screening network. Finally, the project will demonstrate practicality of the large scale storage of digital images of patient eyes. Preliminary evaluations have been performed on our teleophthalmology system using different portable instruments namely a handheld fundus camera, slit-lamp and indirect ophthalmoscope. We have also tested our teleophthalmology system at the Dr. Soetomo Hospital (Airlangga University) in Surabaya, Indonesia. Images captured using the handheld fundus camera were successfully transmitted to Lions Eye Institute through satellite, mobile and Internet lines. This pilot project has been sponsored by the Western Australian Department of Trade and Commerce and Telstra.Read moreRead less