Effective Low-Cost Ophthalmological Screening With a Novel iPhone Fundus Camera at Community Centers

Cureus. 2022 Aug 17;14(8):e28121. doi: 10.7759/cureus.28121. eCollection 2022 Aug.

Abstract

Ophthalmologic care is inaccessible to many people due to a variety of factors, including the availability of providers, cost of equipment for ophthalmologic care, and transportation to clinics and appointments. Because many causes of blindness are both highly prevalent and preventable once identified, it is essential to address gaps in care for underserved populations. We developed a novel 3D-printed mobile retinal camera. In this study, we organized recurring student-run screening events around New York City that took place in community centers and churches, at which we utilized our device to take retinal images. Our screening events reached a diverse population of New Yorkers, disproportionately those with lower household income, many of whom had not had recent eye exams. To validate the device for use in telehealth ophthalmologic visits, we transmitted the images to a remote ophthalmologist for evaluation and compared the result with an on-site attending physician's dilated eye exam. The subjective assessment indicated that 97% of images captured with the mobile retinal camera were acceptable for telehealth analysis. Remote image assessment by achieved 92% sensitivity and 83% specificity in detecting optic disc cupping, compared to the gold-standard on-site dilated eye exam. In addition, the device was portable, affordable, and able to be used by those with relatively little ophthalmologic training. We have demonstrated the utility of this affordable mobile retinal camera for telehealth ophthalmologic evaluation during community screening events that reached an underserved population to detect disease and connect with long-term care.

Keywords: community-based; glaucoma suspect; telemedicine (tm); training & education; vision screening.

Grants and funding

D. Cheng was supported by the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. R. Babij was supported by a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award for Individual Predoctoral MD/PhD Fellows from the National Institutes of Mental Health (5F30MH117939). D. Cheng, R. Babij, D. Cabrera, and A. S. McKenney were supported by a Medical Scientist Training Program grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the NIH (T32GM007739) to the Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program. Funding for the project was provided by the Weill Cornell Clinical and Translational Science Center (UL1 TR000457-06).