Surface Glare Suppression in Retinal Imaging With a Cross-Polarized Line-Scanning Color Fundus Camera

Fundus imaging is critical for the early detection and management of retinal diseases, yet cost and technical limitations remain barriers to broad implementation, especially in resource-limited settings. Conventional fundus photography and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) involve trade-offs in cost, field of view (FOV), color fidelity, and image contrast, and are often affected by corneal surface glare. We present a novel, low-cost line-scanning color fundus camera (LS-CFC) that integrates both line-confocal and polarization-based glare suppression, effectively mitigating corneal surface glare while maintaining high contrast, color accuracy, and a large FOV in nonmydriatic imaging conditions. Using a broadband white LED source, the system avoids the complexity of multilaser alignment and calibration inherent to SLO designs. In clinical tests, the LS-CFC achieved nonmydriatic imaging with an approximately 60° FOV and demonstrated comparable image quality to a standard 45° fundus camera (Carl Zeiss FF450).