Cabrera Lab
When many newborns are born prematurely, they are at risk for Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), a disease of the developing retina. In fact, ROP is a leading cause of blindness in the United States and an emerging epidemic in middle-income countries. As part of standard medical care, these newborns will require eye examinations to monitor the growth of their retinas, and these exams involve touching the eye and eyelids. This can be quite uncomfortable for the child.
Our main focus is to promote non-contact eye imaging for premature newborns. We use advanced technology to scan newborn eyes without touching the eye itself, and no additional medications or eye drops are given. The scanner is a handheld version of a technology found in almost every ophthalmology office in the country, called Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). This scan is harmless to these sensitive newborns, and they can rest comfortably in their cribs while it's performed.
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