An innovative new device which could help diagnose cataracts in newborns is being trialled on a maternity ward in Dorset.
The handheld camera, called NeoCam, will be operated by paediatric staff at Poole Hospital.
According to the NHS, around one in 3,000 babies suffer from a clouding of the eye's lens called cataracts.
The tool is expected to be more accurate than current technology, which uses a medical eye light called an ophthalmoscope.
The study, led by University Hospital Dorset (UHD), will run for a year and aims to assess around 1,200 babies.
Nina Vanner, paediatric research nurse at Poole Hospital, explained how the device works: “The camera uses both infrared and green light to take pictures of your baby's eyes.”
“Small studies so far have shown that this photoscanning technology can make it easier to detect pediatric cataracts.”
If successful, this will allow for more rapid diagnosis, referral and, if necessary, surgery.
All babies born in the UK are screened twice for cataracts.
“Despite this, delayed cataract diagnosis remains a problem, causing avoidable vision loss for some children who develop cataracts,” Vanner added.
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