Apple has approved the new oDocs Montage app created by Dr Sheng Chiong Hong and his innovative team, which doubles the field of vision on smartphone-based retinal imaging devices.

Designed for use by doctors, nurses, optometrists, and ophthalmologists, the app increases field of view from 40 to 80 degrees when using the oDocs nun. Dr Hong developed the app after his oDocs company won a US$100,000 Dubai World Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant earlier this year.

Dr Hong said, “The purpose of the app is to enable clinicians to generate a single retinal montage with a wider field of view. The oDocs Montage is a small part of the objective we are trying to achieve with the Dubai Innovation grant, which has also allowed us to hire and expand our team.”

Post-doctorate software engineer Dr Renoh Johnson Chalakkal from the University of Auckland has joined oDocs Eye Care as a result. oDocs has also received a further NZ$35,000 from Callaghan Innovation to support its work.

Dr Hong hopes the app will add new value to smartphone-based retinal imaging diagnostics. “Previously smartphone-based solutions produced only a single retinal image with a small field of view. The value proposition is now similar to any other wide field imaging devices. Think of it as the poor man's Optos camera!”

As for what’s next, Dr Hong said oDocs is developing a new generation non-mydriatic fundus camera and a few software innovations utilising blockchain and deep learning technology. oDocs is also entering the pharmaceutical sector and is investing heavily in pharmaceutical science.