Handheld Technology from Baxter Makes Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Simple and Affordable for Primary Care Settings

Early Detection Can Prevent 95% of Vision Loss Cases

SEOUL, South Korea, July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults globally.¹ With early detection and treatment, as much as 95 percent of vision loss cases can be prevented.² Compliance with annual diabetic retinal exams in South Korea was found to be approximately 53%, with only 73% of those taking place in the last 12 months.³  Up to 80% of individuals with type two diabetes may eventually develop some stage of diabetic retinopathy.⁴

The Welch Allyn® RetinaVue™ 100 Imager PRO enables diabetic retinopathy screening in primary care settings. By quickly and comfortably screening patients as part of their routine primary care visit, it has been shown that RetinaVue can double patient compliance for potentially vision-saving annual diabetic retinal exams (DREs) in 12 months.⁵

"Diabetes is an epidemic. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of vision loss among adults 20-to-74 years of age,⁶ affecting 7.7 million people worldwide.⁷ It is simply tragic that a large percentage of patients with diabetes aren't being screened for diabetic retinopathy, when it's one of the most preventable causes of blindness among adults," said Bruce Peatey, Vice President of Baxter, Asia Pacific. "RetinaVue has the potential to change lives by helping to identify diabetic retinopathy in those individuals who had not previously been screened for the disease, enhancing the potential to save the sight of thousands, if not millions, of people with diabetes."

Baxter makes this possible by reducing the cost barrier for high-quality fundus imaging. The RetinaVue 100 Imager PRO costs  significantly less than full-size fundus cameras, yet the imager is designed such that any healthcare professional in a primary care practice can capture high-quality fundus images with minimal training.

With nonmydriatic capture through a 3.0mm pupil, the RetinaVue 100 Imager PRO enables comfortable exams without pharmacologic dilation. The handheld, portable device is an attractive solution for mobility across multiple locations. The solution utilizes proprietary touchless auto-focus/image-capture technology and integrated image-quality assessment algorithms, which can help reduce your need for re-imaging appointments. You will get an immediate quality score on the image you capture.

The device will be available in South Korea beginning July 25, 2022. Through RetinaVue, Baxter is committed to delivering simple and affordable screening solutions to help save vision for patients living with diabetes in primary care. For more information, please visit www.baxter.com or  https://www.hillrom.kr/ko/solutions/combating-chronic-disease-apac/Diabetic-Retinopathy/

About Baxter 

Every day, millions of patients, caregivers and healthcare providers rely on Baxter's leading portfolio of diagnostic, critical care, kidney care, nutrition, hospital and surgical products used across patient homes, hospitals, physician offices and other sites of care. For 90 years, we've been operating at the critical intersection where innovations that save and sustain lives meet the healthcare providers who make it happen. With products, digital health solutions and therapies available in more than 100 countries, Baxter's employees worldwide are now building upon the company's rich heritage of medical breakthroughs to advance the next generation of transformative healthcare innovations. To learn more, visit www.baxter.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

CONTACT INFORMATION