The importance of the early detection and correction of eye problems in children is widely recognized. However, a substantial percentage of children ages five and under are not screened for eye problems, as acknowledged by the major vision-related professional organizations. A specific objective of the Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2010 initiative is to increase the number of children in this age group screened for vision problems, noting the individual and societal costs resulting from undetected problems. Photoscreening is a relatively new screening technology, but has already been used to screen millions of children. It has significant fundamental screening advantages over traditional methods. However, current photo-screening systems have significant limitations, including excessive over-referral rates, inability to detect all angles of astigmatism, and weaknesses in the detection of media opacities, particularly in various ethnic groups that comprise a substantial percentage of the U.S. population. Investigation of methods to improve upon current photoscreening systems has led to a potentially significant advance referred to as multimode multispectral digital photoscreening. In theory and in initial simulations this approach appears to overcome the limitations of current photoscreening systems, and has the potential to significantly improve the detection of astigmatisms and media opacities while retaining photoscreening's recognized advantages. Additionally, the digital technology on which the proposed device is based will allow rapid image capture and transmission, and facilitate computer-assisted analysis of the screening results. The ultimate goal of the proposed project is to develop and validate a fully integrated multimode multispectral digital photoscreening system.
The specific aims of this Phase I application are to develop a basic prototype of such a photoscreening device; to capture images from it; and to demonstrate, using schematic eyes, the ability to produce images with analyzable characteristics that correlate with various types and degrees of eye problems.
