Smartphone Imaging Devices for Screening of Diabetic Retinopathy: A Review

Abstract

Background: Innovative solutions are needed for retinal fundus examination in diabetic individuals as a result of the projected rise in the global prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) in the near future. Early detection of DR will help to prevent avoidable blindness and lead to improvement of eyecare services for diabetic individuals. Currently, smartphone fundoscopy is emerging as new form of retinal examination because of the several advantages it offers, such as lower cost and portability, compared to the conventional desktop cameras. This review seeks to describe the characteristics of commercially available smartphone imaging devices.Methodology: The Google search engine was used to investigate the details of different smartphone imaging devices currently available for fundus examination. Studies that have evaluated these devices for the detection of DR were also reported. Results: Findings from this investigation revealed that some of these devices have the potential to detect features of DR which could be beneficial to diabetic individuals living in developing nations. Conclusion: Further research comparing various smartphone imaging devices for DR detection should be carried out by health care professionals across various populations.