Compact eye-scanning technology could bring children’s monitoring into the home

A new NIHR-funded project is adapting optical coherence tomography for children, with the aim of reducing hospital visits and detecting changes in eye disease earlier

3 min read

Siloton

Emily McCormick

29 September 2026

A team of researchers are exploring how optical coherence tomography (OCT) could be adapted and used to monitor children at home who are at risk of sight loss.

The project team, which includes researchers from the University College London (UCL) Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), seeks to adapt a compact OCT. If successful it will reduce the need for children with serious eye conditions to frequently visit the hospital and support the earlier detection of changes in disease progression through at-home monitoring.

Supported by funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the project is led by Professor Ameenat Lola Solebo, from UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and GOSH, and Professor Marinko Sarunic, from the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.

Professor Solebo said: “Our work has demonstrated the transformative impact that advanced imaging can have on patient outcomes and on the experience of children and their families. This project is an important step towards making that technology more accessible and ultimately bringing it into children’s homes.”

The project has been established in response to patients emphasising the need for monitoring delivered close to home to avoid frequent travel to specialist centres, as well as concerns about access to the small number of specialist centres that are able to deliver care.

Working in collaboration with Bristol-based medtech company Siloton, the technology that is being adapted by researchers is based on a compact type of OCT that condenses complex imaging components onto a single chip.

Siloton’s Akepa device, which has been designed to work as part of an easy-to-use, binocular-style system, was successfully trialed on the first cohort of adult patients last year.

Alasdair Price, co-founder and CEO of Siloton, explained: “Until now, our patient focus groups have largely involved adults, because age-related macular degeneration – the leading cause of sight loss in the UK – predominantly affects older people. But the fundamental principles of imaging the eye are the same, and with the right adaptations, Akepa can work just as effectively for children.”

Researchers said that its small size and portability create opportunities to make monitoring more accessible and convenient for patients and families.

Through the project, researchers will be working to adapt the system specifically for use with children by optimising the device for smaller eyes and redesigning it to provide a more comfortable fit, both of which they hope will improve image quality and make examinations easier for younger patients.

The team will also investigate how the technology can support monitoring across a range of conditions, with a particular focus on uveitis, which can affect children with conditions such as arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, and, if not treated early, can cause vision loss and blindness.

The project is also supported by the Childhood Uveitis Studies steering group, which was formed in 2018 as a team of seven patient representatives, who will visit researchers and input into the project’s development.

NIHR scientific director for innovation, Professor Mike Lewis, said: “NIHR funding is helping researchers and industry partners work together to develop innovative technologies like this.

“If we can bring this kind of advanced eye imaging into community and home settings, we could make a real difference to children and their families, reducing the need for hospital visits while enabling clinicians to monitor patients more closely. We are continuing to support Siloton as it develops this technology, building on our investment in the quantum research ecosystem.”