Resumen de Looking into the Eye with a Smartphone

Giuseppe Colicchia, Hartmut Wiesner

• Thanks to their sensors and the large number of apps available, smartphones can be used as a useful tool to carry out new laboratory experiments in physics. 1–3 Such devices, very popular among young people, may be a successful approach to improve students' interest in the subject, particularly in a medical context. In addition to their small camera, smartphones usually have an integrated LED light source that is in line with the visual axis of the camera sensor. Using a smartphone, it is hence possible to take photos or videos of the fundus (retina) inside the eye through the pupil. We will explain the optical principles underlying the methods for observing the fundus of the eye (ophthalmoscopy) and describe how students can perform “fundus” photography on eye models using a smartphone.