Bedside retinal imaging to detect and track retinopathy of prematurity
Official title: Point-of-care ophthalmic diagnostic imaging of retinopathy of prematurity
Funded at Vanderbilt University · NIH-11285192 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to bring easy-to-use bedside retinal imaging for premature infants to help find and track the blood vessel changes that can lead to childhood blindness.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | March 1, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $535,260 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY033969-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11285192 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are premature infants at risk for or being screened for retinopathy of prematurity who can undergo bedside handheld retinal imaging.
✕Less likely to help
This does not apply to older children or adults, or to babies without ROP risk who would not need neonatal retinal imaging.
What this research studies
As a parent of a premature baby, this work is focused on using handheld optical imaging to take pictures of the back of your baby's eye at the bedside. The team will combine advanced imaging (OCT/OCTA) with new methods to reduce motion artifacts and to reliably re-image the same region over time. That way doctors could measure blood-vessel changes and retinal structure across visits instead of relying only on brief bedside exams. The goal is to make it easier to spot worsening disease earlier and follow response to treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could allow earlier and more reliable detection and tracking of ROP changes so treatments can be timed better and vision loss reduced.
How similar studies have gone: Several research groups have shown handheld OCT/OCTA imaging is possible in ROP, but longitudinal, quantitative tracking of retinal vasculature across visits remains limited and is still being developed.
Where this research is happening
-
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Oguz, Ipek — Vanderbilt University
- Study coordinator: Oguz, Ipek
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Improving eye imaging for detecting retinopathy of prematurity in infants
This study is working on a new handheld device that helps doctors see the tiny blood vessels in the eyes of premature babies, making it easier to spot and track retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) so they can provide better care and treatment.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.