Portable smartphone based fundus camera using single lens

Fundus imaging is a crucial aspect of ophthalmology, and the development of smartphone-based solutions has been a rapidly growing field for over a decade. Despite the known benefits of using smartphones for retinal imaging, such as ease and cost-effectiveness, there has been a lack of available devices in this domain as there are only two Asian devices and only eleven devices available commercially worldwide. The development of more devices also helps in reduction of cost and competition makes the quality better. This study addresses this gap by developing a local, inexpensive smartphone-based portable fundus camera using a single lens. The device was designed and simulated using Zemax OpticStudio and then physical model was developed and tested on a Heine Ophthalmoscope trainer eye model. The results obtained were comparable to those of the gold standard Topcon tabletop fundus camera, with a wide field of view of 46 degrees. Additionally, this device is 20 times cheaper and 3 times smaller than conventional tabletop cameras. The potential for this device to meet the requirements of retinal imaging in an outreach setting, particularly in middle or low-income countries, makes it a groundbreaking solution for accessible and affordable retinal imaging in under-served areas.