Another critical parameter to consider is the quality of the slit lamp. The lenses on the slit lamp are the most valuable component, and they will make a significant difference in the quality of the picture. So next time you think of getting a better camera, think instead about the possibility of getting a new slit lamp. When using the iPhone slit lamp adapter with different kinds of slit lamps, you will notice the big difference in output quality from an economy slit lamp to a brand-name one. I will detail the advantages of using an iPhone slit lamp adapter as your primary tool for digital photography, the different options you will find in the market, and how to use it to create fabulous pictures.

Gurram MM. Ophthalmic cell-phone imaging system: a costless imaging system. Can J Ophthalmol. 2013;48(5):135–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjo.2013.06.007. All the sponges measured are then cut-to-fit the slit lamp eye piece and the viewing hole of smartphone camera (Refer Figure 3, Picture No. 4).How did we live without these? From Internet searches, voice activated texting, and instant messaging for personal use, smartphones now have apps tailored to most professions. When using an iPhone slit lamp adapter, you will get more than 5 megapixels if using iPhone 4 or 5. As you see in the picture to the right, you won’t see any noticeable difference between 3 and 12 megapixels when taking zoom photography. You can slide out the eyepiece. There are a few slit lamps where you must unscrew the eyepiece. In this case, you must use the “over-the-eyepiece adapter.”

Morales-Leon, J.-E.; Díaz-De-León, L.R. Smartphone stereoscopic imaging: Inexpensive 3d telemedicine. Pan-Am. J. Ophthalmol. 2020, 2, 35. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef] https://www.kowaoptic.com/de/smartoscope-vario-universal-smartphone-adapter?c=84 (accessed on 20 October 2022) Lord, R.K.; Shah, V.A.; San Filippo, A.N.; Krishna, R. Novel uses of smartphones in ophthalmology. Ophthalmology 2010, 117, P1274.E3. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef]Would you like to have pictures of your patients’ eyes mixed with the ones of your last family’s vacation? By default, the iPhone and Android smartphones will mix all your photos in one big folder unless you take the time to organize them in different folders.

The use of the smartphone in ophthalmology is more common than ever before 1 – 5. Although most ophthalmology clinics are equipped with slit lamp but not all clinics are fortunate enough to be equipped with a high quality anterior segment slit lamp camera. Smartphones are usually incorporated with high resolution cameras which are commonly used by ophthalmologist capture pictures of the anterior segment of the eye 1 – 5. There are several commercially available smartphone adaptors to a slitlamp but they are expensive and is specific for certain slit lamp brands only 6. We are writing to introduce an easy method to produce and use your own smartphone as a slitlamp anterior segment camera – Do it yourself (DIY). Advantages of smartphone slit lamp camera Cost saving and maintenance Soper, J.W. A camera adapter for slit-lamp photography. Int. Ophthalmol. Clin. 1976, 16, 181–187. [ Google Scholar] [ PubMed]

Teaching clinical skills is far easier with the use of a slit lamp camera system: using an Apple TV device I can “cast” a real-time, live view of the slit lamp from my iPhone to a computer monitor. I successfully taught a medical student how to perform a fundus examination in just 1 afternoon, a skill that often takes weeks if not months to learn. Russo et al 9 recently reported on the use of the D-Eye adapter (Si14 S.p.A., Padua, Italy), which magnetically attaches to the smartphone and can capture fundus images of an approximately 200º of field of view ( Figure 5). Using images captured with this device they showed substantial agreement in the grading of diabetic retinopathy between the smartphone fundoscopy and slit-lamp fundus examination by masked examiners. Hester CC. Smart Phoneography – How to take slit lamp photographs with an iPhone. http://eyewiki.aao.org/Smart_Phoneography_-_How_to_take_slit_lamp_ photographs_with_an_iPhone. Accessed 21 September 2013. Discontinued ( https://opticsmag.com/skylight-scope-microscope-cell-phone-adapter (accessed on 20 October 2022))

Bastawrous A. Smartphone fundoscopy. Ophthalmology. 2012;119(2):433–433.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2011.11.014. This article was the first to describe using the camera’s flash as a coaxial light source and the smartphone as an indirect ophthalmoscope to capture retinal images. A conventional slit lamp camera is usually used for taking good quality pictures of the eye. The problem with slit lamp camera is that it is expensive and usually immobile.Conventional slit lamp camera is usually placed in a special room and not easily accessible but with the smartphone slit lamp adaptor, it can easily be used in any slit lamp at anytime. You’ll find an interesting discussion: Why did Apple use an 8-megapixel camera in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus? The image you see through the slit lamp ocular will not be the same as the image that you see through on your smartphone’s viewing screen, especially when you are performing retroillumination. Focus the image through the slit lamp’s ocular then fine-tune the focus through smartphone’s viewing screen.