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December 2017

Accelerating Innovation in Ophthalmic Digital Health: New Frontiers for Medical Devices

Author Affiliations
  • 1Byers Eye Institute at Stanford, Palo Alto, California
  • 2Division of Ophthlamic and Ear, Nose, and Throat Devices, Office of Device Evaluation, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland
JAMA Ophthalmol. 2017;135(12):1291-1292. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2017.4376

The proportion of Americans with smartphones has grown to 77% since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, and more than 2 million applications (apps) are available for download.1 Smartphones, tablets, and wearables are portable computing systems equipped with hardware for advanced image processing; high-resolution photograph, video, and audio capture; biometric sensors; and wireless communication. These features can create powerful platforms for medical applications. In parallel, previously nondigital medical devices are now becoming part of the “internet of things” as embedded “smart” technology adds connectivity and computational power.

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