Graves disease

Researchers in Switzerland found a smartphone app performed better than a Hertel exophthalmometer for measuring exophthalmos¹. 

Based at the University of Zurich, the research team compared a smartphone, a high-resolution scanner and a Hertel exophthalmometer used to evaluate exophthalmos in 39 patients, 23 of whom had a mean difference in eyeball protrusion of 3.3mm and 16 of whom were healthy.  

The smartphone showed relatively high accuracy and precision, interoperator reliability and test-retest reliability, said researchers. The Hertel exophthalmometer may be difficult to operate by an inexperienced examiner and prone to reading errors and while the 3D scanner did the best job, it performed only slightly better than the smartphone and costs about US$20,000, co-author Dr Konrad Weber told MedPage Today. 

1. Popov T, Fierz FC, Bockisch CJ, Weber KP. Using Smartphone Exophthalmometry to Measure Eyeball Protrusion. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2023 Sep 21