Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Fundus photography in the eye clinic

We have an absolutely incredible photography department at the University of Iowa, where I did my ophthalmology training. The photos are phenomenal, and we post them in our EyeRounds Ophthalmic Atlas (http://webeye.ophth.uiowa.edu/eyeforum/atlas/index.htm). If you are an “eye” person, you really should take a look at this website—you will not be disappointed.

Here in Africa, it is me, myself, and my iPhone. I like to take photos of the pathology to share with others. I think this helps others understand what types of eye problems are plaguing Swaziland. It also helps the patients understand what is going on with their eyes. I can take a photo of a squamous cell carcinoma with the slit lamp and show the patient the area of concern. They always seem to have a look of understanding once I show them a photo of his/her eye. I always ask permission before I take any photos, and the majority of the patients are more than happy to have their photo taken.

The iPhone is great for slit lamp photos. It is actually much easier to use than my Canon camera in this setting. Unfortunately, I have been unable to capture reliable photos of the fundus (retina)…until now!

My friend and former co-resident, Dr. Justin Risma, shared an article with me and my colleagues earlier this year on fundus photography in the clinical setting. It instructs one how to take fundus photos with the use of a 20 diopter lens and a Smartphone. He has shared with me some of the photos he has taken, and they are incredible.
 



 
The article is entitled: Simple Inexpensive Technique for High-Quality Smartphone Fundus Photography in Human and Animal Eyes. It was published in 2013, and credit goes to the authors: Haddock LJ, Kim DY, and Mukai S.

Here is a link to the article:
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/joph/2013/518479/

Dr. Risma did mention there is a learning curve, but it isn’t too incredibly steep. Hopefully I’ll have some of my own fundus photos to share in the future. And, again, if you are an “eye” person, I urge you to try this yourself!

No comments:

Post a Comment