Efficacy of trash to treasure retcam in diabetic retinopathy screening

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a global burden and its prevalence has always been on an increase and screening is the only method by which early diagnosis and treatment can be achieved. The current screening tools are expensive, heavy and immovable. Aims and Objectives: To find out the efficacy in terms of sensitivity and specificity of the Trash To Treasure Retcam (T3 Retcam - An innovative, inexpensive, portable and light device) in comparison with direct ophthalmoscope and digital fundus camera (canon CF1). Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based prospective study with a sample size of 80 patients calculated using Buderer's formula. The patients were ones who have diabetes for more than 5 years and have not more than NS-1 cataract status. They were dilated and examined using direct ophthalmoscope, digital fundus camera, and T3 Retcam. Each examination was carried out by three different consultants who were blinded to each other to reduce bias. Each of them was given a form in which they had to tick the particular finding as to yes or no according to its presence. A comparative analysis was done. Results: Sensitivity of the T3 Retcam was found to be 88.4% and 92% compared to Direct Ophthalmoscope and Canon funds camera, respectively. Specificity was found to be 100%. Conclusion: Trash To Treasure Retcam is a novel, inexpensive device made out of used material in the clinic/outpatient department. This device can help us detect diabetic retinopathy and can also be used as a major tool for screening in camps. It is comparable to the direct ophthalmoscope and digital cameras and yield good data for screening purposes.