Abstract
Keypoints
· WHO estimates up to 330 million people worldwide (4% of world population) have chronic ear infections with a significant proportion of these suffer from disabling hearing loss.
· The majority of people with treatable ear diseases reside in low‐ and middle‐income countries where access to otoscopes is limited.
· A novel, low‐cost, LED‐illuminated, solar‐powered otoscope, the Arclight has been developed as a practical and economical alternative to traditional and more expensive devices.
· In comparison with a traditional otoscope, the Arclight has been shown in our study to be equally effective in identifying common ear conditions.
· By overcoming the barriers to acquisition and maintenance of a conventional otoscope in low‐resource settings, the Arclight has potential to assist in reduction in chronic ear diseases and the subsequent hearing loss in LMICs.
· WHO estimates up to 330 million people worldwide (4% of world population) have chronic ear infections with a significant proportion of these suffer from disabling hearing loss.
· The majority of people with treatable ear diseases reside in low‐ and middle‐income countries where access to otoscopes is limited.
· A novel, low‐cost, LED‐illuminated, solar‐powered otoscope, the Arclight has been developed as a practical and economical alternative to traditional and more expensive devices.
· In comparison with a traditional otoscope, the Arclight has been shown in our study to be equally effective in identifying common ear conditions.
· By overcoming the barriers to acquisition and maintenance of a conventional otoscope in low‐resource settings, the Arclight has potential to assist in reduction in chronic ear diseases and the subsequent hearing loss in LMICs.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1101-1104 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Clinical Otolaryngology |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Early online date | 18 Jul 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2019 |