Widefield handheld retinal OCT for infants and patients who can't cooperate
Official title: A Widefield, Handheld OCT system for Patients who are Unable to Cooperate
Funded at Theia Imaging LLC · NIH-11170026 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A lightweight, fast handheld eye scanner that captures wide views of the retina for babies and patients who cannot sit still or fixate.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Theia Imaging LLC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $970,759 |
| NIH project number | 5R44EY033604-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11170026 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include newborns and infants at risk for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), young children, and adults who cannot cooperate with tabletop eye imaging.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who can already undergo standard tabletop OCT or who need different eye exams not based on OCT are unlikely to benefit directly from this device development.
What this research studies
This project is building a high-speed, lightweight handheld optical coherence tomography (OCT) device that can take widefield images of the retina at the bedside. The device is designed to reach infants, young children, and patients who cannot use standard tabletop OCT machines because they cannot sit, rest their chin, or fixate on a target. By increasing the field of view and speed while reducing size and weight, the team aims to capture peripheral retinal images that current handheld systems miss. Trials and clinical testing would take place in point-of-care settings like neonatal units and clinics to compare image quality and usability.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the device could enable earlier detection and monitoring of retinal disease in infants and uncooperative patients, helping to prevent irreversible vision loss.
How similar studies have gone: Handheld OCT has already produced useful clinical findings in infants and children, but existing devices are slower, heavier, and have a narrower field of view than the proposed system.
Where this research is happening
-
Theia Imaging LLC
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Viehland, Christian — Theia Imaging LLC
- Study coordinator: Viehland, Christian
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.