Article

November 27, 2016

Top apps for ophthalmologists

Author(s):

From ways to organize workflow, to apps specifically for eyecare providers, here are some popular apps you might consider installing.

1. EyeMD

The vision tools are awesome!

Jesse Berry, MD

Associate Director, Ocular Oncology

Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Associate Program Director

USC Roski Eye Institute Keck School Of Medicine

University of Southern California

More: Did you know these 20 celebrities have impaired vision?

2. Perfect Serve

I use perfect serve for secure communications, iPhone adapters to take slitlamp and fundus photographs in the ER or at the bedside, and mobile versions of pubmed and other vetted medical education sites for just in time information on patience in the clinic.

Andrew G. Lee, MD

Chair of Ophthalmology

Blanton Eye Institute Houston

Methodist Hospital

3. Waze

The most important app is Waze. It gets me to work on time!

J. Michael Jumper, MD

West Coast Retina

Waze is my personal GPS anywhere in the United States. It tells me the way to go to avoid traffic, eta, mileage, speed traps along the way, etc.

Robert Stamper, MD

Director, Glaucoma Clinic

UCSF Medical Center

4. IOL Calc

IOL calc allows me to check on IOL calculations easily.

Robert Stamper, MD

Director, Glaucoma Clinic

UCSF Medical Center

5. Tripcase

For travel I use Tripcase -- everything is in one place!

Jesse Berry, MD

Associate Director, Ocular Oncology

Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Associate Program Director

USC Roski Eye Institute Keck School Of Medicine

University of Southern California

Recent: 10 highlights from AAO 2016

6. Dictation

I occasionally use the dictation app on the iPhone. I can send the file electronically to be typed up. I use the American Society of Retina Specialist (ASRS) app/link on my phone to look up addresses of colleagues.

J. Michael Jumper, MD

West Coast Retina

Recent: The 5 greatest ophthalmic innovations of the 21st century

7. AAO ebooks

In addition, I also always download the apps for meetings -- AAO and many other meetings do this now.

Jesse Berry, MD

Associate Director, Ocular Oncology

Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Associate Program Director

USC Roski Eye Institute Keck School Of Medicine

University of Southern California

Recent: Understanding pros, cons of the latest corneal refractive procedure

8. Gmail calendar

The most useful app on my iPhone for me is my Gmail calendar. It is synchronized to my calendar at work so I have all my personal and work related events all in one source. This becomes critical from an organizational standpoint as it has allowed me to efficiently manage everything pertinent to my daily schedule including research meetings, lectures/presentations, or meetings with industry representatives. In addition, my staff has access to it at the practice so adjustments can be made to the schedule to account for new events in real-time.

Joshua Mali, MD

The Eye Associates

Sarasota, Florida

9. Astigmatismfix.com

I don't really use apps but find astigmatismfix.com useful. Regulatory has really stifled innovation. Several toric calculators have been taken down and previze.com has been taken down due to possible FDA compliance issues.

Farrell Tyson, MD, FACS

Tyson Eye-Cape Coral Eye Center

Cape Coral, FL

10. Opto drum

Jesse Berry, MD

Associate Director, Ocular Oncology

Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Associate Program Director

USC Roski Eye Institute Keck School Of Medicine

University of Southern California

Recent: An ophthalmologist’s experience with telemedicine

11. Citrix

I use precious few apps clinically (other than Citrix to access my EMR).

Michael Snyder, MD

Cincinnati Eye Institute

After-hours: Techie-turned ophthalmologist creates unique EMR

12. Genius Scan

It lets you scan documents and create a pdf from your phone!

Jesse Berry, MD

Associate Director, Ocular Oncology

Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Associate Program Director

USC Roski Eye Institute Keck School Of Medicine

University of Southern California

Recent: Strategies guide efficiency in modern medical practice

13. Notemaster

Notemaster is invaluable as I keep all my numbers, passwords, laser settings, and all manner of information in an easy-to-use app that gives me instant access.

Robert Stamper, MD

Director, Glaucoma Clinic

UCSF Medical Center

More: How building resilience may stall physician burnout

14. Pubmed on Tap

Pubmed on tap (and pubcrawler online) -- because how else will I keep up with all the oncology publications!?

Jesse Berry, MD

Associate Director, Ocular Oncology

Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Associate Program Director

USC Roski Eye Institute Keck School Of Medicine

University of Southern California

Recent: Intuitive EMR platform adapts to ophthalmic workflow

15. Outlook

Frankly, I don’t use any apps for my practice. Email and my Outlook calendar are my most significant uses of the internet in terms of managing my work.

Elizabeth A. Davis MD, FACS

Partner, Minnesota Eye Consultants

Recent: 5 mistakes managers often make

16. Army Knife

I use very few apps for my work. I basically organize my work through my e-mail which I use on my smart phone. I have not found most apps to be truly useful. The only one that I use regularly has nothing to do with organizing work but is a useful "pocket tool." It is called swiss army knife and basically has a ruler, unit converter, flashlight, magnifier, bubble level, stopwatch, compass, calculator, mirror and timer in one app.

Richard Hoffman, MD

Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Casey Eye Institute

Oregon Health and Science University

17. Google Drive

I use Google Drive -- everything is accessible on your phone, iPad, and any device and they all sync.

Jesse Berry, MD

Associate Director, Ocular Oncology

Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Associate Program Director

USC Roski Eye Institute Keck School Of Medicine

University of Southern California

Recent: Crosslinking showing potential for refractive correction

18. Flashlight

Flashlight is a great source of light for emergency situations looking into a patient’s eyes, reading a menu in a dark restaurant, searching under the couch or bed for the lost remote, etc.

Robert Stamper, MD

Director, Glaucoma Clinic

UCSF Medical Center

More: Precision medicine: Tracking glaucoma progression