This eye doctor ditched his expensive $15K set up for an iPhone 13 and has no complaints

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Okay, if you thought that the new cameras on the iPhone 13 were just for selfies, check this out. An ophthalmologist called Dr. Tommy Korn uses the new macro functionality in his practice, to keep a check on the eyes of his patients over time.

The post he shared on LinkedIn has been gaining serious traction, but Dr. Korn thinks some readers have gotten the wrong idea about his methods. In an additional interview with PetaPixel, Dr. Korn says he takes the images as additional documentation, so when his patients ask ‘hey, how does it look compared to last time,’ he can give them an accurate answer.

For anyone who might think using a standalone camera would be a better option, well the good doctor tried that, with a pro-level Nikon DSLR and macro lens. The thing is, he found the workflow to be annoying, with having to remove the memory card after every patient to save their images into his files.

That led to him tinkering around with an iPhone 6+, attached to a super-expensive slit-lamp eye camera that is a common piece of equipment for an eye doctor’s office. That made it easier for him to add images to the patient’s records, and it also allowed him to AirDrop a copy to the patient’s phone, so they also have a record.

Now he’s using an iPhone 13, which has advanced the camera far enough that he no longer needs the $15K slit lamp camera and adapter. The wide-angle lens having macro means he can just use that to take the images he needs for documentation, simplifying his workflow substantially.

The other bonus for the more powerful smartphone cameras? He can do more telehealth consultations, as his patients can take high-quality images of their own eyes, without having to come into the office. What a win-win.

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Editors’ Recommendations:

• Apple made more profits in video games than Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo combined
• iPhone 13 Pro’s ProMotion screen is kinda broken right now
• New MacBook Pro models with the M1X chip should be here soon
• The iPhone 13 Pro is a creative powerhouse that starts at $999

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.