First retinal scanner of its kind in the UK at the REI

The first retinal scanner of its kind in the UK has been delivered to Derriford Hospital thanks to a generous donation from the League of Friends of the Plymouth REI.

Patients will now have access to a ground-breaking, retina-scanning technology which allows 3D visualisation of microcirculation within the retinal blood vessels inside the eye in just a few seconds.

This non-invasive technology allows doctors to examine the details of the circulation within the retina without the need for injecting any contrast dyes into the blood stream which makes the whole procedure much faster, safer and better tolerated by the patients.

Professor Nabil Habib, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at the REI, said: “This will provide us with unprecedented details and precise blood flow images along with higher quality structural scans which will help us in managing a wide range of conditions such as Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Retinopathy.”

The new scanner, made by Carl Zeiss Meditec, can perform as many as 68,000 scans in one second, and has a real-time tracking system that allows very precise images, in spite of involuntary eye movements.

This will now replace the older method of imaging the blood vessels with flash photography after injecting contrast dye into the blood stream, an unpleasant and often uncomfortable procedure that lasts about 20 minutes.

The official handover of the new equipment was accepted on behalf of the people of Plymouth by the Lord Mayor, Dr John Mahony, at a ceremony on Thursday 28 April.