Doctor Iddi Ndyabawe, ophthalmologist and a passionate ROP specialist in Uganda, East Africa, was responsible for the very first ROP study in the country, published by BMC Ophthalmology in 2023. He’s  currently involved in Adult Retina services as well, working in a screening project for diagnosing CMV Retinitis in HIV patients with meningitis admitted at Kiruddu National Referral Hospital and Mulago National Referral Hospital. He also offers Diabetic Retinopathy screening services to private patients at Kisubi Hospital. 

Dr Iddi in the Aravind Eye Hospital Library, Coimbatore India

Dr. Iddi got to know about the Eyer Retinal Camera in February 2023, when Nurse Nancy Maria Douat Dietrich from Santa Catarina, Brazil came along with the high quality images device and joined the ROP screening activities at Kawempe National Referral Hospital. 

 “When Nancy saw my passion for ROP in Uganda, she communicated with Mr. Jose Augusto, CEO of Phelcom, who then sent me an Eyer Fundus camera by June 2023 as a support for my humble efforts in ROP “, recalls Dr. Iddi.

Dr Iddi training in laser therapy for ROP on an eye model

Dr. Iddi crossing the flooded roads to reach the village NICU to conduct ROP screening

According to Dr. Iddi, the main advantages of the Eyer Fundus Camera for his medical practice are:

• Eyer takes clear resolution images for best diagnosis of posterior disease;
• It is perfect at CDR assessment;
• Eyer can easily pick out the hyperemic disc in optic neuritis that could easily be missed;
• EyerMaps heat map is perfect in pointing where the clinician should pay more attention.

Dr. Iddi mentions as well that the portability and non-mydriatic use of Eyer Fundus Camera, which allows him to perform examinations in different scenarios. He recalls one particular Sunday when a relative came in complaining of reduced vision. He was able to discover a diagnosis of toxoplasmosis right there in his own home.

About the Eyer

Eyer Portable Fundus Camera

The Eyer is a portable fundus camera that works in conjunction with a smartphone and performs high-quality retinal examinations in a few minutes without the need for pupil dilation.

The technology supports the diagnosis of more than 50 diseases, including glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, AMD, retinoblastoma, hypertensive retinopathy and ocular toxoplasmosis. Currently, more than 10 million tests have been carried out in Brazil, the United States, Chile and Colombia.

The technology’s portability and affordability democratize access to retinal examinations. It costs approximately six times less than a conventional tabletop fundus camera, which still needs to be integrated with a computer.

About Phelcom

Phelcom Technologies is a Brazilian medtech company based in São Carlos, in the interior area of São Paulo. The company’s story began in 2016, when three young researchers – a physicist, an electronics engineer and a computer engineer (physics, electronics, computing) – created a portable fundus camera integrated with a smartphone.

The idea for the first prototype was realized by Diego Lencione’s interest in visual health, as his brother has had a condition that has severely compromised his retina and vision since childhood.

In 2019, Phelcom launched its first product on the Brazilian market: the Eyer portable fundus camera. Today, the technology has reached more than two million people across Brazil and worldwide.

In four years, the company has participated in more than 100 social actions and was recently named one of the 10 most innovative companies in Brazil by Forbes.