Smartphone Usage in Eye Education

Akshaya. V, M. Optom

PhD Scholar and Assistant Professor, Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College and Hospital, Puducherry, India

 

Smartphones are mobile phones with advanced features and connectivity compared to regular mobile phones. Nowadays in the economic, digital world, smartphones lie in our pockets. As of 2023, there are about 6.5 billion smartphone users, a number expected to climb to 8 billion by 2028.⁽¹⁾

Smartphones are used by healthcare professionals as tools for practising communication, patient education, disease self-management, and remote patient monitoring, while maintaining confidentiality. ⁽²⁾ A survey on mobile phone ownership among healthcare professionals depicts that 99% use mobile phones, and 81% use smartphones, with the most popular being the Apple iPhone. ⁽³⁾
 

Applications of Smartphones

Patient Assessment Tools

Optometric or ophthalmic tests in which smartphones can be used include: Visual Acuity, Colour Vision, Pupil Size Estimation, Amsler Grid Testing, Oculomotor Reflexes, Worth 4 Dot Test, Red Desaturation Test. Smartphones are also used as ophthalmic cameras, referred to as “Panoptic Ophthalmoscope,” whereas photo adapters are attached to smartphones to take images of the eye. The Pinhole Adaptor (Near Eye Tool for Refractive Assessment) is used to estimate refractive error without any statistically significant difference from subjective refraction. ⁽³⁾

Healthcare Profession Education and Reference

Applications like PubMed, Google Search, Google Scholar, and MEDLINE can be used to share information with patients and colleagues. They can be used to save data like patient follow-up and IOL (Intra Ocular Lens) calculations. ^(3,4)

Patient Records and Administrative Tools

Applications like OsiriX and MEDITECH enable the transfer of patient information from one physician to another. ⁽³⁾ The majority of information includes values of visual acuity and intraocular pressure; images of the eye taken from a mobile or camera, findings of optical coherence tomography, images of corneal topography, and electronic health records of patients. ⁽³⁾

Patient Education through Visual Aids

The Eye Handbook application allows physicians to save and transfer to the smartphone of patients. Smartphones also have Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities for tracking and monitoring patients with disabilities. ⁽³⁾ Additionally, smartphone apps incorporated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) range from screen magnifiers to world-recognition systems that help identify objects and text in the environment for patients with low vision. ⁽⁵⁾

Teleophthalmology

Teleophthalmology is a mode of eye care that uses electronic communication for diagnosis, treatment, prevention, education, and research. The teleophthalmology program in Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) uses Secure Diagnostic Imaging for digital imaging of the retina. With the use of a non-mydriatic fundus camera, the screening threshold for mild and moderate Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (NPDR) has a sensitivity of 97.1% and 53.3%, and specificity of 95.5% and 96.9%. ⁽⁶⁾ Individuals with Severe NPDR were 100%. ⁽⁶⁾ However, restrictions in implementation include dense cataracts, media opacity, and small pupil size. It is a cost-effective tool and useful for monitoring, with referrals to eye care specialists.

Tools	Application	Purpose
Patient Assessment	Panoptic Ophthalmoscope	Images of the anterior and posterior segments of the eye.
Education and Reference	Pubmed, Google Scholar, MEDLINE	Saving and sharing data of patients information.
Record and Administration	OsiriX and MEDITECH	Transfer of the patient’s information, measurements and images.
Visual Aids	Artificial Intelligence	Identify text, objects and sharing information.
Teleophthalmology	Secure Diagnostic Imaging	Diagnosis, treatment, patient’s education & research.

Table 1: Table Showing major Smartphone application and tools in eyecare

Conclusion

Smartphones are useful for eye care professionals and patients. The usage of smartphones is playing a significant role in eye care and education. As smartphone usage continues to rise, further improvements in the field of eye care are expected.

References

1. Pangarkar, T. (2025). Smarter Devices Statistics 2025 by Engaging Technology. Market.us Scoop.
2. Lord, R. K., Shah, V. A., San Filippo, A. N., & Krishna, R. (2010). Novel uses of smartphones in ophthalmology. Ophthalmology, 117(6), 1274-1274.
3. Zvornicanin, E., Zvornicanin, J., & Hadziefendic, B. (2014). The use of smart phones in ophthalmology. Acta Informatica Medica, 22(3), 206.
4. Rabbani, A., Saleem, K., Saleem, P., & Nangrejo, K. M. (2018). Smartphones for Smart Eyes.Journal of Peoples University of Medical & Health Sciences Nawabshah.(JPUMHS), 8(3), 173-179.
5. Hogarty, D. T., Hogarty, J. P., & Hewitt, A. W. (2020). Smartphone use in ophthalmology: what is their place in clinical practice?. Survey of Ophthalmology, 65(2), 250-262.
6. Kalogeropoulos, D., Kalogeropoulos, C., Stefaniotou, M., & Neofytou, M. (2020). The role of tele-ophthalmology in diabetic retinopathy screening. Journal of Optometry, 13(4), 262-268.

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About the Author

Akshaya. V

PhD Scholar and Assistant Professor

Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College and Hospital, Puducherry, India