To evaluate the clinical usefulness, convenience, and possibility of using the medical records of fundus photography with a smartphone.

We used an ophthalmoscope to examine the images using a smartphone (iphone 6, Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA, USA) and +20D and +28D condensing lenses. Twenty-four subjects were selected for comparison with the conventional funduscopic camera. The posterior pole of the 45° range of the right eye and the fundus photograph taken using the smartphone were analyzed. We measured the distances between specific points on three photographs taken of the patient and calculated the photographing range.

The +20 D lens was 0.80 ± 0.06 times smaller than that of the fundus camera and +1.12 ± 0.06 times bigger than that of the fundus photograph. When the area of the funduscope was converted to 45°, +20 D could visualize an area of 36.10 ± 2.82°, and +28 D could visualize a 50.56 ± 2.68° area.

Without expensive equipment, a smart phone and a condensing lens can be used to easily perform fundus examination without the need for a special technique. Therefore, this technique is not only useful clinically, but also is very convenient for keeping medical records as fundus photographs.