Portable devices in ophthalmic care have made their way into the commercial U.S. healthcare setting over the last few years.
From at-home glaucoma monitoring systems to optical coherence tomography (OCT) monitoring for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) to wearable, smartphone-based diagnostic tools for retinal health, the transition to point-of-care (POC) treatment is evident.
Another recent (FDA-cleared) example: The InstaFOP handheld fundus camera for retinal imaging.
Let’s get some details on this.
We’ll start with the device’s maker: Remidio, an Indian medical technology (medtech) company with global operations in the United States and Singapore.
Founded in 2009, Remidio is focused on eyecare accessibility for eyecare specialists, primary and homecare providers, and emergency departments (among others) via handheld, lower-cost imaging systems and products such as:
- Handheld fundus (retinal) cameras and autorefractors, portable slit lamps, cloud-based teleophthalmology software, and artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted screening tools (think: oculomics).
Now talk about InstaFOP.
As Remidio’s flagship product, the Fundus on Phone Non-Mydriatic (FOP NM-10) is a smartphone-based, handheld retinal camera available as a portable alternative to tabletop retinal cameras.
What it does: The device captures high-resolution fundus and anterior images via infrared (855 nm) and cool white light-emitting diode (LED) illumination.
Among its capabilities:
- Screening for diabetic retinopathy (DR)
- Evaluating hypertension retinopathy
- Documenting macular degeneration
- Assessing the optic nerve for glaucoma
Expand more on these features and functions.
Remidio markets the fundus camera as “overcoming critical limitations” of standard POC retinal exams and traditional, direct ophthalmoscopes.
Some features:
- Wide-field retinal images with eight fixation points
- One-touch capture of multi-field images without patient strain
- Real-time visualization, documentation, and sharing for decision-making
- Arms-length positioning operation (instead of close face-to-face)
- Complete imaging for both eyes in less than 1 minute
See here for specifications.
Which clinical settings can it be used in?
From routine screenings to urgent assessments, the battery-powered device is designed for:
- Primary care providers
- Home care providers
- Rural and mission providers
- Emergency departments
- Eyecare specialists
And is it cleared for U.S. commercial use?
Indeed. While Remidio’s FOP-NM handheld fundus cameras have supported DR screenings in the U.S. since 2019, the FDA granted 510(k) clearance for the FOP NM-10 in December 2025.
- See here for its clearance confirmation as a Class II (specifical controls) medical device.
So … why the sudden coverage on it?
While Remidio’s portable retinal scanner is impressive in its own right, the technology has gained media attention over the last few weeks after being featured by U.S. businessman and philanthropist Bill Gates in a social media post.
In a LinkedIn post and accompanying video, Gates highlighted the FOP NM-10 in regard to its ability to flag early signs of conditions, such as high blood pressure or (gestational) diabetes—as well as its potential importance in reducing stillbirths and improving maternal healthcare.
- “We need really great tools. And so we’re always on the lookout for some new tool that can help us identify when a pregnant mom is in trouble,” he said in the 1-minute video.
That video was also the subject of a post on the Gates Notes website (part of the Gates Foundation), in which he emphasized the technology’s portability and affordability as giving the diagnostic device global scale potential.
Ah, gotcha. So! Sounds like something to have in practice
Indeed. And speaking of in practice … you can check the FOP NM-10 out for yourself!
SImply reach out to the company for details on availability, pricing—and to request a demo.