Smartphone Indirect Ophthalmoscopy: For Screening, and Documentation of the Ocular Fundus.

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe in detail the procedure of performing indirect ophthalmoscopy using any smartphone along with instruments that are readily available in ophthalmic practice. Materials and Methods: The procedure was performed with a smartphone and a 20D or 28D lens. Using the flashlight of the phone as a coaxial light source, the system works as an indirect ophthalmoscope where the camera creates a digital image of the ocular fundus on the phone screen through the condensing lens. High definition videos of the fundus were recorded using the inbuilt video recorder of the phone, and subsequently good quality fundus images were extracted from the video clips. Results: With the described technique of smartphone indirect ophthalmoscopy, we were able to carry out basic screening of the ocular fundus without using a direct ophthalmoscope, slit lamp biomicroscopy or indirect ophthalmoscope. It also proved to be an excellent tool for documentation of fundus pathologies through good quality images. Conclusion: The described technique is an easy and inexpensive way to photograph the fundus in patients using readily available portable instruments. Commercially available fundus cameras are outside the reach of many practitioners and institutes. Hence, the method seems to be a good tool for basic screening and documentation of fundus pathologies. With a small learning curve, it is relatively simple to master and takes advantage of the expanding mobile-telephone networks for telemedicine.