Latest microscopy 'will help diagnose eye disease'

Microscopy techniques are to feature in new developments by City University London scientists in an effort to improve eye disease treatment.

The Engineer magazine reports that a research programme at the institution's Wellcome Laboratories for Vision Sciences is formulating a new high-resolution 3D retinal-imaging device.

Steve Gruppetta, an academic fellow leading the project, is failing to divulge the full details regarding how it works until a patent is approved, but he confirmed it involves the latest in microscopy.

The new lab equipment will be a more streamlined version of retinal-imaging instruments that are found in hospitals and will be intended for optometrists and GP offices.

According to the publication, which was launched more than 150 years ago, lab products of this kind include scanning laser ophthalmoscopes and optical coherence tomography.

They are made using complex moving mirrors and costly light sources such as superluminescent diodes or femtosecond lasers, the news provider explained.