Using a smartphone-based digital fundus camera for screening of retinal and optic nerve diseases in veterinary medicine: A preliminary investigation.

Abstract

Ophthalmoscopy is a valuable tool in clinical practice. We report the use of a novel smartphone-based handheld device for visualisation and photo-documentation of the ocular fundus in veterinary medicine. Selected veterinary patients of a referralophthalmology service were included if one or both eyes had clear ocular media, allowing for examination of the fundus. Following pharmacological mydriasis, fundic images were obtained with a handheld fundus camera (Volk VistaView). For comparison, the fundus of a subset of animals was also imaged with a veterinary-specific fundus camera (Optomed Smartscope VET2). The large field of view achieved by the Volk VistaView allowed for rapid and thorough observation of the ocular fundus in animals, providing a tool to visualise and record common pathologies of the posterior segment. Captured fundic images were sometimes overexposed, with the tapetal fundus artificially appearing hyperreflective when using the Volk VistaView camera, a finding that was less frequent when activating a 'veterinary mode' that reduced the sensitivity of the camera's sensor. The Volk VistaView compared well with the Optomed Smartscope VET2. The main study limitation was the small sample size. The Volk VistaView camera was easy to use and provided good-quality fundic images in veterinary patients with healthy or diseased eyes, offering a wide field of view that was ideal for screening purposes.