A HOSPITAL EYE CAMERA COSTS 16,000 DOLLARS. THIS OPEN-SOURCE BUILD DOES IT FOR UNDER 400 DOLLARS
A 400 dollars open-source fundus camera that photographs the retina for diabetic blindness screening, built to work where clinic hardware never will.
by OIO team, LV Prasad Eye Institute
HealthOpen-hardware
- difficulty
- ●●●●○
- time
- several weekends
- license
- MIT
- repo
- repo ACTIVE11 stars
●●●●○ · several weekends · MIT · 11 stars · repo ACTIVE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- 3D printer + filament — printable parts — files are in the repo
- Electronic parts — full list with part numbers in the repo BOM
- Dev board / microcontroller — runs the project firmware
Partner
COMPAREE VERDICT
The Open Indirect Ophthalmoscope is a serious medical imaging device built for places that will never see a Zeiss fundus camera. It was designed by a team at LV Prasad Eye Institute in India and it takes real retinal photographs for diabetic retinopathy screening. The build is under 400 dollars versus 10,000-25,000 dollars for commercial equivalents, but this is not a weekend project. You are fabricating a custom PCB, sourcing optical lenses by specification, printing a precision housing, and assembling optics that need to align to sub-millimeter tolerances. The assembly guide is clear and the team has logged real retinal images from working units, but expect to spend time hunting down the correct lenses - some part numbers are given, suppliers are not always named, and optical components do not have drop-in alternatives. The single thing most likely to go wrong is the optics: if you substitute a lens or get the focal length wrong, the image will not form. This is a build for someone who has done precision opto-mechanical work before, or who is willing to learn it slowly. If you are looking for something to deploy in the field, it works - but only after you have built one correctly first.
IN THE REPO
NOT IN THE REPO
- —Full Solidworks CAD files and 3D-printable STLs in the repository
- —Complete PCB Gerber files for the custom control board
- —Raspberry Pi disk image with the camera software pre-configured
- —10-step assembly guide on Hackaday.io with real build photographs
- —Bill of materials lists optical components by part number, but suppliers are not specified for all parts
- —Licence is CC BY 4.0 - permits commercial use with attribution
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
Partner · KickstarterHeyGears G1: 10M+ colors and transparent parts in one print, plus UV printing on flat objects. Figures, parts and labels — no painting.
Videos
Open Indirect Ophthalmoscope - OIO1:02
Team member demo showing the assembled device, user interface and a real retinal photograph captured with the system
Gallery
Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Read the full project documentation on Hackaday.io (10-step assembly guide with photographs of the working device and sample retinal images)
- 2.Review the bill of materials and identify optical component suppliers (Part numbers are specified but you will need to source lenses from optical suppliers - this is the step that takes research)
- 3.Send the PCB Gerber files to a fabrication service(JLCPCB, PCBWay or similar - expect 1-2 week turnaround, you will need to populate the board yourself or request assembly)
- 4.Print the housing parts and mechanical alignment jigs(STL files are in the repository, some parts require print bed larger than 200×200mm, precision alignment jig is critical)
Resources
Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.
- Hackaday.io project page with assembly guide hackaday.io
- Team demo video youtube.com
- Project site derbedhruv.com
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KNOWN ISSUES
- Optical components do not have drop-in alternatives - if you substitute a lens or get the focal length wrong, the fundus image will not form and you will not know why until you test the full assembly
- Some optical parts are specified by focal length and diameter but suppliers are not always named in the BOM - you will spend time cross-referencing datasheets from Edmund Optics, Thorlabs or similar
- This is not plug-and-play: optical alignment requires the printed alignment jig and iterative adjustment, expect to spend an afternoon on this even if the mechanical build went smoothly
- The Raspberry Pi image is provided but it is dated - you may need to recompile camera drivers or dependencies for newer Pi OS versions
- Not a certified medical device and cannot be used in clinical diagnosis without separate validation - this is for education, research and screening programs only
- No suppliers or lead times are given for the LED illumination module - you may need to substitute or design your own driver circuit
Can this replace a hospital fundus camera?
It produces real retinal images suitable for diabetic retinopathy screening, but it is not a certified medical device. Clinical use requires separate validation and regulatory approval in your region.
Where do I source the optical components?
The BOM specifies focal lengths and diameters. Edmund Optics, Thorlabs and similar optical suppliers stock these parts, but you will need to cross-reference part numbers - the repository does not provide supplier links for every lens.
How hard is the optical alignment?
It is the hardest part of the build. The design includes a printable alignment jig and the assembly guide walks through it, but expect iterative adjustment and test imaging before the fundus image is sharp.
What happens if I get a lens specification wrong?
The fundus image will not form or will be too dim to see. Optics do not have drop-in substitutes - focal length and diameter must match the design or you will need to recalculate the optical path.
Community builds
No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.
Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
The working units at LV Prasad have captured real retinal photographs for diabetic screening. If you had access to the optical components, what would stop you building one?
OIO team, LV Prasad Eye Institute
The Open Indirect Ophthalmoscope was developed by a team around the Srujana Center for Innovation at LV Prasad Eye Institute in India. The project was built to bring retinal screening for diabetic retinopathy to regions where $16,000 fundus cameras will never arrive, and the working prototypes have captured real diagnostic images.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM3d ago
Practical notes from our verification: this project was built by a clinical research team for deployment in low-resource settings and the assembly guide logs real fundus images from working units, which is rare for DIY medical imaging. The Hackaday.io page is the primary documentation - the GitHub repository holds the CAD and firmware but not the step-by-step build notes. The optical alignment is the hard part: the design works but you are building precision optics, not plugging in modules, and there is no way around the fact that you need to source lenses by specification from an optical supplier. The team video is short but shows a working device capturing a retinal image, which confirms the design is not theoretical.