Corneal endothelial cell photography: comparison of smartphones

• Published in: Die Ophthalmologie Vol. 120; no. 4; p. 382
• Main Authors: Wiedenmann, Cornelius Jakob, Böhringer, Daniel, Reinhard, Thomas, Wacker, Katrin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: German
• Published: Germany 01.04.2023
• Subjects: Cornea; Cross-Sectional Studies; Endothelial Cells; Fuchs' Endothelial Dystrophy - diagnosis; Humans; Photography; Smartphone; Digital; Cornea; Fuchs-Endothelial corneal dystrophy; Telemedicine; DMEK
• ISSN: 2731-7218; 2731-7218
• DOI: 10.1007/s00347-022-01742-z

The documentation of ophthalmologic findings using smartphone photography can confirm diagnoses and enable follow-up assessments in outpatient care. Photographing corneal endothelial cells using a smartphone on a slit lamp is complex for both smartphone and examiner. Smartphone models differ in their ability to quickly and safely take images of the corneal endothelium. In this paper different smartphone models are presented with respect to their applicability for corneal endothelial cell photography and success factors for good smartphone imaging are described. In a cross-sectional study, a selection of 16 different smartphone models were compared with respect to their use in corneal endothelial cell photography. The smartphones were attached to the slit lamp eyepiece using an adjustable adapter. It was tested whether high-quality endothelial cell images of healthy subjects could be obtained within 3 min using the standard photo app of the respective smartphone. In addition, the subjective difficulty of creating the image was recorded. Factors contributing to successful imaging of corneal endothelial cells were summarized in a figure. Distinct differences regarding feasibility and quality of endothelial cell photography were detected between the different smartphones. Not every smartphone is suitable for endothelial cell photography.