The retinal scanner is an interesting technology that can help medical practitioners identify problems more quickly and offer better treatment. What is a retinal scanner? This device scans patterns found in a person’s retina. For the most part, the retina remains the same from the day we are born until the day we die. No two people share the same retinal patterns, either, making this an excellent way to identify individuals. The retinal scanner uses an infrared light to trace a path on the retina.
What Can the Retinal Scanner Do?
The retinal scanner can serve a number of purposes. The first is to identify individuals and store their information in a database. Since the retina is so unique, there is little chance for a duplicate or miss identification to happen. The retinal scanner can also serve a more medical purpose. The retina changes little as we develop, but certain conditions can alter it. Diabetes, glaucoma, and retinal degenerative conditions have been known to change the way the retina looks. The retinal scanner can help identify these problems accurately and quickly.
The medical applications do not stop there. A retinal scanner can also help determine whether or not a woman is pregnant. It can also provide a sign of many communicable diseases such as syphilis, Lyme disease, malaria and AIDs. Many hereditary conditions are also on the list. A retinal scanner can reveal a chronic health problem such as high cholesterol or congestive heart failure.
Why Do Some People Dislike the Retinal Scanner?
Not everyone likes the retinal scanner. Some feel it is too intrusive, especially for less serious applications. The person being scanned must be very close to the equipment, which is very costly to purchase. The high price of the retinal scanner and it’s generally user un-friendly operation are bad enough for some, others also argue that it is not accurate in some cases. Patients with cataracts and other diseases as well as severe astigmatism may find their retinal scanner results are altered because of these conditions.