Non-mydriatic DR screening

Article

Dr Marcus Kernt tackles the subject of diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening using ultra-widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO), which he believes is a valid alternative to the current gold standard.

At this year's World Ophthalmology Congress, Dr Marcus Kernt tackled the subject of diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening using ultra-widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO), which he believes is a valid alternative to the current gold standard.

ETDRS type 7-field stereo colour fundus photography is the current method used for imaging in (DR) but according to Dr Kernt, this technique has drawbacks such as expense, time-consumption and dependence on examiner experience. "The alternative to this is non-mydriatic ultra-widefield screening," he said.

To prove the viability of SLO as an alternative, Dr Kernt and colleagues performed some research with the Optomap system (Optos, Dunfermline, UK).

They found that the three lasers of different wavelengths in the system enabled them to obtain a coloured retina image. Additionally, they were able to view a much larger area in one single scan.

When they compared its efficacy of grading DR against that of the current gold standard, Dr Kernt and colleagues found that there was a good agreement.

"Optomap shows good correlation with what we can see from the ETDRS-7 field, and has sufficient quality to assist in the screening of DR," Dr Kernt concluded.

If you would like to read more on Dr Kernt's work with ultra-widefield SLO read the full article in the May print issue of OTEurope.

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, shares his presentation, titled An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma, at this year's International SPECTRALIS Symposium
At the Retina World Congress, Siegfried Priglinger, MD, speaks about ensuring the best outcomes for preschool-aged patients
At the 2025 ASCRS meeting, Robert Ang, MD said small aperture IOLs can benefit all patients, especially those with complex corneas or who have undergone previous corneal refractive surgery
Viha Vig, MBChB graduate student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, discusses her poster presentation on the relationship between mitochondiral disease, Alzheimer disease, and other types of dementia.
Alfredo Sadun, MD, PhD, chief of Ophthalmology at the Doheny Eye Institute, University of California Los Angeles, shared exciting new research with the Eye Care Network during the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting on the subject of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON).
At this year's Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, Nitish Mehta, MD, shared highlights from his research documenting real-world results of aflibercept 8 mg for patients with diabetic macular oedema.
ARVO 2025: Anat Loewenstein, MD, shares data from herself and her colleagues on meeting needs of patients with diabetic retinopathy
At the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons annual meeting, Sheng Lim, MD, FRCOphth discusses the benefit of endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation for patients with primary open angle glaucoma and cataracts in the CONCEPT study
A photo of Seville, Spain, with the Congress on Controversies in Ophthalmology logo superimposed on it. Image credit: ©francovolpato – stock.adobe.com; logo courtesy COPHy
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.