Smartphone App Offers Precise Eye Protrusion Measurements: JAMA study

Todor Popov and coulleagues at the University Hospital Zurich have unveiled a smartphone application that can accurately measure eye protrusion, potentially replacing the historically used Hertel exophthalmometer. The study published in the Journal of American Medical Association conducted between June 2019 and January 2022, involved patients with exophthalmos due to various conditions and healthy volunteers.

The cross-sectional study involved 39 participants, including patients with exophthalmos and healthy volunteers. These individuals were examined twice by three different operators using three different methods: the smartphone app, a high-resolution 3D scanner, and the Hertel exophthalmometer. The measurements were taken at intervals of at least two weeks or after treatments that might affect exophthalmos.

The results were striking. Patients and healthy participants showed minimal mean differences in eyeball protrusion between the smartphone app, the 3D scanner, and the Hertel exophthalmometer. In fact, there was no significant difference in measurements between the three methods, showcasing the accuracy and precision of the smartphone application.

Interoperator reliability was notably high for the smartphone app, closely followed by the high-resolution scanner. Test-retest reliability, an essential aspect of any diagnostic tool, was similarly high across all three measurement methods.

The study concluded that the smartphone exophthalmometry method is not only accurate and precise but also reliable across different operators and testing times. The intraclass correlation coefficients for the smartphone method were notably high, supporting its potential as a substitute for the Hertel exophthalmometer.

This development is poised to transform how exophthalmos is measured in clinical settings. The ease of use and the high level of accuracy offered by the smartphone app could reduce the margin of error associated with traditional methods. Additionally, it may streamline the diagnostic process, making it more accessible to healthcare providers and patients alike.

As the world of healthcare continues to embrace digital innovations, this smartphone application could revolutionize the way eye conditions are diagnosed and managed, potentially improving patient outcomes and reducing the burden on healthcare systems. Further studies and adoption of this technology could soon make the Hertel exophthalmometer a relic of the past.

Source:

Popov, T., Fierz, F. C., Bockisch, C. J., & Weber, K. P. (2023). Using Smartphone Exophthalmometry to Measure Eyeball Protrusion. In JAMA Ophthalmology. American Medical Association (AMA). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2023.4044