Using Retinal Scans as Diagnostic Devices

Scientists at MD Biotech in Morgantown, West Virginia (US), are working on "binoculars" that scan your retinas for more than just your identity. Dr. Chris Kolanko, the founder of MD Biotech, has created an Optical Scanning Instrument (OSI) that can reveal a whole host of medical problems. In the prototype, what looks like an oversized pair of binoculars scans your eye as you look through the "wrong" end. The OSI takes snapshots of the inside of your eye. Then, the snapshots are analyzed using algorithms developed from healthy and unhealthy eyes. Each algorithm evaluates small variations in eye movements, pupil size, retinal blood vessels, infections, and corneal abnormalities to determine a match to a particular illness.