Miniaturized fundus camera

Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) denotes a pathologic development of the retina in prematurely born children. In order to prevent severe permanent damage to the eye and enable a timely treatment, the fundus of the eye in such children has to be examined according to established procedures. By way of a miniaturized fundus camera it is intended to record digital pictures of the fundus for on-line or off-line examination and diagnosis. Within the framework of a network for telescreening of ROP, this communication is devoted to technical aspects related to the development of a miniaturized, handheld fundus camera that can be used to relate digital images of the fundus covering the entire area of interest to the network. The images can then be examined by a specialist who is, if not available on location, remote from the hospital. Due to the limited amount of space in a neonatology unit, furthermore, electronic racks containing controllers, computers, etc. are not acceptable, i.e., miniaturization and integration of all functions associated with networking is necessary.