India has 360 Million School going Children and there is no mandatory Eye Screening Programme for these Children, less than 10 % of them have any form of vision Check up. Around 25 % of these Children can have problems with vision such as Refractory Errors (Need to wear Glasses) and 3-4% of them can have a condition called as Lazy Eye (Ambylopia) which if not diagnosed at a early age can lead to permanent loss of vision in One Eye. Since the number of Ophthalmologists / Optometrists is very less compared to the overall population, it is not possible for the present system to reach out to all the Children in India and hence there is a need to adapt to newer Technology enabled methods to screen these Children.
Digital Vision Screening through Telemedicine.
Child-friendly, fast, and easily administered by Doctors or their staff, Welcares photoscreening technology is as simple to use as a digital camera and provides comprehensive, accurate pediatric vision screening in seconds. Welcares Technology can be used from anywhere in the world – requiring nothing more than a nearby Ethernet connection and a standard electrical outlet. The Images are transferred to our cloud based platform and analyzed by our Ophthalmologists and results provided immediately. The Pediatrician can advise the patient to go to the nearby Ophthalmologist if there are any defects identified in this process.
The Science of Photoscreening:
Welcare Photo screeners can be placed in Paediatric Clinics, Schools etc, and Images of the Children’s Eyes can be captured and transmitted into our cloud based platform for Ophthalmologists to analyze the images are provide the reports . Photoscreening is a patented process of image capture and pattern recognition analysis developed over
a decade ago. The process utilizes a sophisticated set of rapidly timed flashes at different angles to capture “red reflex” images of the eye, creating light patterns on the images that trained technicians can analyze to screen for potentially serious vision problems in young children. This methodology is validated by the American Academy of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.
This process is highly effective with more than 90% Sensitivity and Specificity rates
Conditions Detected:
- Near-sightedness (Myopia)
- Far-sightedness (Hyperopia)
- Alignment Problems (Strabismus)
- Unequal focusing of the eyes (Anisometropia)
- Abnormal curvature of the cornea, leading to distorted vision (Astigmatism)
- Unequal pupil sizes (Anisocoria)
- Media opacities (Cataracts and others)
- Irregular-shaped pupil (Coloboma)
- Drooping lid (Ptosis)
More importantly this technology identifies Amblyogenic Risk factors at an early age, since 4-5% of children can have this condition, and if it is not identified at an early age can lead to permanent loss of vision.