Purpose

This year, we are purchasing The Retcam - a special direct contact digital camera that is used to take pictures of the retina. The IWK uses the Retcam on a weekly basis to examine premature infants in the NICU. When babies are born too early, the blood vessels at the back of the eye have not fully vascularized and it is possible for them to develop abnormally weak, leaky vessels that leads to scarring, and in some cases if not treated, they can develop retinal detachments and be left blind.

Unfortunately the current Retcam at the IWK no longer takes reliable images and is no longer serviced because of its old age.

A new Retcam will be more reliable, easier to use and is useful for early detection of disease. Digital images will be stored and transferred to the hospital network and will allow for better visualization, better documentation of images and can be viewed in full screen mode for maximum visualization of detail. This piece of equipment is the standard of care currently across the country in every tertiary centre.