Cameras in smart phones have a wide range of use than to just click selfies and other pictures to be shared on social media platforms.
Doctors are saying there is more to it than meets the eye when it comes to smart phones. Increasingly they are using them to detect and diagnose eye ailments.
There are a number of devices and techniques that have been used by smart phones to detect eye conditions, but very few studies have been made on their efficiency, say physicians.
For instance when it comes to diabetic retinopathy, accuracy plays a major role. To screen patients said to be having the condition, Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre has been conducting studies using a device called ‘Fundus on Phone Camera’.
In their latest study, they have made use of the new device for taking colour photographs of the fundus (interior of the eye). These photos were validated against the photos of the retina that were taken using a conventional retinal camera. “This procedure would thus help detect a number of diseases on the fundus, including diabetic retinopathy,” V. Mohan, founder, Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre, says.
The cost of this camera is one tenth that of the traditional camera and can be used by untrained professionals. “Patients with type 2 diabetes will have to check their vision every year from the day they are detected. Using a cheaper, smaller piece of equipment would help to screen more people for diabetes-related eye diseases,” he said.
