“Miniaturization and Portability for Point-of-Care Diagnostics”
- A prominent and rapidly accelerating trend in the North America Optical Imaging Market is the push towards miniaturized and portable imaging systems, enabling the widespread adoption of point-of-care (POC) diagnostics and remote monitoring. This shift aims to bring advanced imaging capabilities closer to the patient, facilitating quicker diagnoses and treatment decisions outside traditional clinical settings.
- This trend is driven by the demand for more accessible and convenient diagnostic tools, especially in primary care settings and for screening in underserved areas. Examples include handheld Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scanners for ophthalmology and dermatology, and compact systems for real-time microscopic assessment.
- For instance, Forus Health, with a presence in the US, offers compact, portable, and easy-to-use non-mydriatic digital imaging devices like the 3nethra classic HD for acquiring high-resolution images of the posterior and anterior surfaces of the human eye. Similarly, companies like Butterfly Network have made significant strides with handheld ultrasound devices (e.g., Butterfly iQ+) that integrate with smartphones, demonstrating the broader trend of bringing complex imaging to the point of care. While Butterfly iQ+ is ultrasound, it exemplifies the portability and smartphone integration trend that optical imaging is also adopting. Furthermore, research institutions in North America are actively developing micro-imagers that are extremely thin and flexible, potentially for non-invasive internal imaging using optical methods.
