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Smartphones can improve ocular health screening, clinical research

Issue: March 25, 2017

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MIAMI — Smartphones and mobile devices enabled with retinal fundus photography accessories can help bring ophthalmology screening services to rural areas and countries where ocular health screening tools are not readily available, according to a speaker here.

“One of the advantages of using a smartphone is you can use it for other things as well. You can also take other tests, such as visual acuity, and you can take pictures not only of the front of the eye but the back of the eye, and you can merge all that data, so the sensitivity and the specificity of the testing that you do can be higher than if you were to only use one modality,” Mark S. Blumenkranz, MD, said at Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration 2017.

Mobile devices and smartphones can be outfitted with adaptors and specialized software to take accurate pictures of the eye to test visual acuity and identify potentially harmful ocular conditions, such as myopic retinopathy. Blumenkranz and colleagues published a study in Retina comparing ophthalmoscopy completed in a clinic with high-risk patients to a blind reading of mobile device images. There was 91% sensitivity and 90% specificity for identifying referral-warranted retinopathy in patients who had pictures taken by a mobile device, he said.

“My prediction will be we’ll have the ability to miniaturize and mobilize the ophthalmic tools, or to have those tools, to enable tomorrow’s physicians to provide more informed and more cost-effective care anytime, anywhere,” Blumenkranz said. – by Robert Linnehan

Reference:

Blumenkranz MS. Advances in mobile device enabled retinal fundus photography for clinical research and public health screening. Presented at: Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration 2017; Feb. 11, 2017; Miami.

Disclosure: Blumenkranz reports he receives other financial support or material support from Adverum and DigiSight.