Development of a miniature chip-on-tip intraocular endoscope

The resolution of small commercial fiber-optic based ophthalmic endoscopes is severely limited by the size of the incision and the employed trocar. Therefore, this study presents a new endoscope that features a CMOS camera at the distal end of the endoscope and thus in the patient's eye. A suitably developed RGBW LED illumination system successfully replaces the widespread xenon light sources as first images demonstrate. The diameter of this system is still larger than that of the available endoscopes, but further miniaturization is within reach.