Affordable ultra-widefield smartphone PedCam for comprehensive pediatric retinal examination

Widefield fundus photography is critical for the detection, documentation, and management of pediatric eye diseases. Existing clinical pediatric fundus cameras offer a limited field of view (FOV) and suboptimal image contrast, hindering comprehensive peripheral retina examination. Additionally, the high cost and lack of portability of commercial devices restrict their use in resource-limited settings. We introduce a cost-effective smartphone-based pediatric camera (PedCam) that provides a 180 degrees eye angle (126 degrees visual angle) snapshot FOV. Utilizing trans-pars planar illumination, the device enables nonmydriatic imaging by allocating the pupil exclusively for imaging, eliminating the need for pharmacological pupillary dilation. By adjusting the optical axis of the PedCam relative to the ocular axis, the effective FOV can be expanded up to 240 degrees eye angle (180 degrees visual angle), enabling complete retinal evaluation. This innovative smartphone PedCam represents a significant advancement in affordable telemedicine for the screening, monitoring, and management of retinopathy of prematurity and other pediatric eye conditions. (c) 2024 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement