Cost Effective Slit lamp Camera System

Background: Slit lamp mounted anterior segment camera systems can improve patient care by allowing the examiner to directly compare anterior segment findings from one exam to the next. This research project seeks to determine if an affordable alternative can be developed by designing a mount to couple a compact, readily available, and cost effective camera to a slit lamp ocular. Methods: Inexpensive and readily available parts were ordered to construct mounting hardware specific to a slit lamp microscope. This mount was used to attach a GoPro Hero4 Session action camera to a Marco slit lamp microscope and images captured with this system were then subjectively compared to images captured using the Stingray F-146 camera system through the same slit lamp microscope. In addition, the GoPro camera system was mounted to a Haag Streit BM900 slit lamp and images were captured through this microscope and compared to images from the Hitachi HV-D30 compact 3-CCD camera though the same microscope. Sample photos were taken and compared qualitatively to detennine if an action camera could make for a cost effective slit lamp imaging system. Results: The GoPro slit lamp camera system takes adequate images for gross findings, but falls short of more expensive imaging systems for more subtle images. Conclusions: While commercially available slit lamp camera systems are capable ofproviding higher quality images ofsubtle anterior segment findings, the low cost of action cameras and readily available mounting hardware make them an excellent option for practitioners looking to increase the quality of their documentation without the investment inherent with current slit lamp camera systems.