Arclight: a pocket ophthalmoscope for the 21st century.

Arclight: a pocket ophthalmoscope for the 21st century Andrew Blaikie, senior lecturer, John Sandford-Smith, emeritus consultant ophthalmologist, Sahib Y Tuteja, third year medical student,Christopher D Williams, senior lecturer, Christopher O’Callaghan, professor of respiratory and paediatric medicine University of St Andrews School of Medicine, St Andrews KY16 9TF, UK Leicester Royal Infirmary, Infirmary Square, Leicester LE1 5WW, UK Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK UCL Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK Correspondence to: A Blaikie [email protected] Andrew Blaikie and colleagues discuss the Arclight, a cheap, portable device for use in low and middle income countries that was inspired by a Christmas article in The BMJ 2320 “Wow, it really works!”—rural health worker, Malawi, 2016 “Less is more”—Peter Behrens, Architect, 1868-1940 Around 285 million people in the world are estimated to be visually impaired, and 360 million hearing impaired, with the majority of cases considered preventable or treatable if diagnosed promptly. Ophthalmoscopes and otoscopes are typically designed for wealthy countries and are complex, heavy, and expensive; their basic designs have remained relatively unchanged for over 100 years. Very few practitioners in low and middle income countries have these essential tools. If they do, they are typically hand-me-downs that don’t work because they need parts that are hard to find or expensive, such as bulbs and batteries. The vast majority of cases of vision and hearing impairment, however, are found in these countries with least access to diagnostic tools. The Lancet Commission has recommended greater focus on frugal technologies designed for the needs of low and middle income countries.