06/17/2026
“Why the retina? It’s the only place in the body where you can see blood vessels from the outside.” That’s not your doctor, those are the words of Bill Gates. He recently funded a portable retinal camera that healthcare workers can easily transport to remote villages in Sub-Saharan Africa to help detect the signs of life threatening conditions like pre-eclampsia. This condition causes dangerous spikes in blood pressure during pregnancy—which is responsible for half a million fetal deaths every year, along with 70,000 maternal deaths. “You hold it up to a patient’s eye to get a high-resolution image of their retina in seconds, no dilation required,” Gates explains in his press release. When you come in for your eye exam, we use this same high resolution retinal photography to detect bleeding, swelling, or changes inside the eye that could put you at risk of vision loss or worse. This imaging technology is essential to find even the earliest signs of vascular issues in the body. Thanks to entrepreneurs like Gates, retinal imaging is making its way to more remote areas to help those in need, and luckily for all of our patients here in Raleigh, you get this incredible technology as a routine part of your yearly exam!
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