Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
Smartphone Fundus Photography
Published on: July 6, 2017
Teleophthalmology assessment of diabetic retinopathy fundus images: smartphone versus standard office computer
Sajeesh Kumar1, Erh-Hsuan Wang, Michael J Pokabla
1Department of Health Information Management, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Skumar10@uthsc.edu
Purpose:
To evaluate the diagnostic capability of a smartphone handset compared with a standard office computer workstation for teleophthalmology fundus photo assessments of diabetic retinopathy.
Methods:
Eligible, consenting participants' fundus images were acquired using a non-mydriatic camera. These images along with other medical data were transmitted 20 miles away through the Internet (gold standard) and also through an iPhone(®) (Apple, Cupertino, CA) to two ophthalmologists, who independently compared the images.
Results:
The κ coefficient between the gold standard workstation display and iPhone images to detect retinopathy-related changes for both readers was more than 0.9. The image quality of the iPhone was scored high by the ophthalmologists.
Conclusions:
Ophthalmic images transmitted through both smartphone and Internet techniques match well with each other. Despite current limitations, smartphones could represent as a tool for fundus photo assessments of diabetic retinopathy. Further studies are needed to investigate the economic and clinical feasibility of smartphones in ophthalmology.
