Eye equipment heading to space station

STURGEON BAY - Dr. Paul Filar is in the business of seeing things more clearly.

“I like to try and find different solutions to a problem,” said Filar.

He's been practicing optometry in Door County for five years now, using the typical sophisticated, bulky and expensive equipment to examine his patients' eyes.

But for visits to area nursing homes he needed another option to get eye images back to his office for review. So he developed his own alternative.
It's called the Provizion Anterior Segment and Retinal Camera attachment.

What it does is take pictures and video of the outer and inner eye focusing in on the optic nerve. And then through a computer hook up sent it anywhere for further review.

Dr. Filar came up with this telemedicine tool so he could see patients outside the traditional office here in Sturgeon Bay. He designed it to go anywhere, which apparently includes outer space.

“We got a phone call from NASA,” said Filar.

Shocked and excited Filar realized this was the perfect application.

In fact NASA ended up ordering two, one to go up to the International Space Station and the other for training here on Earth.

“I believe that they've been training crew how to hold it, the settings and brightness and how to work some of the software,” said Filar.

Astronauts will now be able to use the retinal camera attached to an ophthalmoscope to relay pictures to medical professionals on earth to diagnose any problems in their vision.

“If NASA is using it hopefully other people should be able to figure it out,” said Filar.

Since unveiling his invention back in April he had been marketing it to other eye doctors and even veterinarians. But he sees now how many others could use it too.

“It could have an application in emergency rooms and other types of care,” said Filar

This isn't Dr. Filar's first invention to help his practice and his patients, and he says it won't be his last. As a sci-fi buff though he's extra excited about being able to contribute something to the space program.